Vaccine Clinic for Island Kids

  • Saturday, January 11 and Sunday, January 12, 2025
  • 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • Located at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, 57 Prospect Street, Physician Practices
  • No appointments, walk-ins welcome – stop by at your convenience
  • Interpreters and translators will be available
  • Free food, treats and goodies will be available
  • Free, no co-pay

On Saturday, January 11 and Sunday, January 12, 2025, Nantucket Cottage Hospital will offer a vaccine clinic for island kids who need to get caught up on their required or recommended vaccinations. The clinic is made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation.

Required vaccines that are commonly missing, or are behind schedule, include varicella, MMR, DTaP and polio. To view a list of all vaccines available at the clinic, please scroll down. Ask your school nurse if your child is missing any doses, or check in with the hospital by calling 508-825-1000.

The clinic will be open on Saturday, January 11 and Sunday, January 12 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Physician Practices at the hospital. There are no appointments, walk-in at your convenience. All patients under 18 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Vaccines will be available at no direct cost to the patients’ family, regardless of insurance coverage.

Massachusetts requires certain vaccines to attend school, and others are recommended to protect students and our community from serious vaccine-preventable diseases.

Amy Lee, President of Nantucket Cottage Hospital said, “In our regular communication with the schools we learned that many pre-school and school aged children are not up-to-date on all of their recommended vaccinations. Our goal with this clinic is to make it as easy as possible for parents to determine their child’s vaccination status and get them caught up on what they need.”

Parents of Nantucket Cottage Hospital patients can find their children’s vaccine status on the Mass General Brigham Patient Gateway. For patients who have not received medical care at NCH, please bring records of prior vaccinations. Parents with questions about a child’s vaccine status can ask their school’s nurse, or call the hospital at 508-825-1000.

Massachusetts School Immunization Requirements: 2024–2025

School immunization requirements exist to protect students and members of their community from serious vaccine-preventable diseases by ensuring high vaccination rates.

Childcare/Preschool: Attendees <2 years should be immunized for their age according to the ACIP Recommended Immunization Schedule. Requirements listed in the table below apply to all attendees ≥2 years. These requirements also apply to children in preschool classes called K0 or K1.

  • Hib: 1–4 doses; number of doses is determined by vaccine product and age the series begins
  • DTaP: 4 doses
  • Polio: 3 doses
  • Hepatitis B: 3 doses; laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable
  • MMR: 1 dose; must be given on or after the 1st birthday; laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable
  • Varicella: 1 dose; must be given on or after the 1st birthday; a reliable history of chickenpox* or laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable

Grades Kindergarten–6: In ungraded classrooms, Kindergarten requirements apply to all students ≥5 years.

  • DTaP/Tdap: 5 doses; 4 doses are acceptable if the fourth dose is given on or after the 4th birthday; DT is only acceptable with a letter stating a medical contraindication to DTaP
  • Polio: 4 doses; fourth dose must be given on or after the 4th birthday and ≥6 months after the previous dose or a fifth dose is required; 3 doses are acceptable if the third dose is given on or after the 4th birthday and ≥6 months after the previous dose
  • Hepatitis B: 3 doses; laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable
  • MMR: 2 doses; first dose must be given on or after the 1st birthday, and second dose must be given ≥28 days after first dose; laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable
  • Varicella: 2 doses; first dose must be given on or after the 1st birthday and second dose must be given ≥28 days after first dose; a reliable history of chickenpox* or laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable

Grades 7–12: In ungraded classrooms, Grade 7 requirements apply to all students ≥12 years

  • Tdap: 1 dose; and history of DTaP primary series or age-appropriate catch-up vaccination; Tdap given at ≥7 years may be counted, but a dose at age 11–12 is recommended if Tdap was given earlier as part of a catch-up schedule; Td or Tdap should be given if it has been ≥10 years since last Tdap
  • Polio: 4 doses; fourth dose must be given on or after the 4th birthday and ≥6 months after the previous dose or a fifth dose is required; 3 doses are acceptable if the third dose is given on or after the 4th birthday and ≥6 months after the previous dose
  • Hepatitis B: 3 doses; laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable; 2 doses of Heplisav-B given on or after 18 years of age are acceptable
  • MMR: 2 doses; first dose must be given on or after the 1st birthday, and second dose must be given ≥28 days after first dose; laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable
  • Varicella: 2 doses; first dose must be given on or after the 1st birthday and second dose must be given ≥28 days after first dose; a reliable history of chickenpox* or laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable

Meningococcal Requirements

  • Grade 7–10: 1 dose; 1 dose MenACWY (formerly MCV4) required; Meningococcal B vaccine is not required and does not meet this requirement
  • Grade 11–12: 2 doses; second dose MenACWY (formerly MCV4) must be given on or after the 16th birthday and ≥ 8 weeks after the previous dose; 1 dose is acceptable if it was given on or after the 16th birthday; Meningococcal B vaccine is not required and does not meet this requirement

Vaccines Recommended by Mass General Brigham:

In addition to what’s required by the State of Massachusetts, Mass General Brigham recommends patients receive a flu and COVID-19 vaccine.

A flu vaccine makes it less likely that you will get the flu. A flu shot may not prevent you from getting the flu completely. But getting a flu shot reduces the risk of infection, severe disease, death, and hospitalization. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that everyone ages six months and older should get a flu vaccine. There are different types of flu vaccines. Some flu vaccines are meant for people who are 65 years and older. If you are 65 years and older, you should get these vaccines.

MGB also recommends patients stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines. Updated COVID vaccines will protect you against the latest virus variants.