Carol Bradford Running For Sudbury Health Board: Letter

The following letter does not necessarily reflect the views of Sudbury Patch

I am proud to announce my candidacy for re-election to the Sudbury Board of Health. It has been my privilege to serve on the Board for the last twelve years. My husband Steven and I have raised our four boys here and we love the strong sense of community. Volunteering in town has been an incredibly rewarding endeavor.

I started my career as a nurse in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Tufts Medical Center. That experience shaped my early nursing career and taught me the importance of working collaboratively to obtain optimal health outcomes.

In 1999 I became the school nurse at Peter Noyes Elementary School and in 2002 was promoted to my current role as Lead Nurse for Sudbury Public Schools. Working in the schools provided me with the opportunity to explore other Public Health activities like the Medical Reserve Corps. With the MRC, I participated in emergency preparedness planning and vaccine dispensing clinics. This work led me to pursue running for Board of Health in 2010.

The past couple of years have been tough on everyone, and as the Chair of the Board, I am extremely proud of the collaboration between so many teams in Sudbury to bring our community to this side of the Covid-19 pandemic. Whether we were working with the schools to prepare protocols for the safe opening of schools or collaborating with the Senior Center to provide vaccine clinics and at-home vaccine visits, I felt grateful that our town departments and volunteers were so positive and cooperative. I look forward to continuing to build this collaborative atmosphere as we address whatever comes next.

Public Health encompasses a wide range of issues. From hazardous waste disposal to stable keeping of animals to mental health awareness. One of the things I am most proud of was the Board of Health’s successful advocacy for a full-time nurse and social worker for Sudbury. As the town has grown, so have the needs of the health department. A health inspector joined the department in 2021, and an additional full time social worker will be funded through a grant in 2022.

This role spans beyond the pandemic, but it has shown us how much experience matters. It would be my honor to continue to serve on Sudbury’s Board of Health. Please visit my website for more details: bradford4sudbury.weebly.com.

I hope to earn your vote on Monday, March 28.

—Carol Bradford, Maple Avenue