Haverhill Public Health Nurse Mary Connolly, who will lead the city’s future Public Health Department, was celebrated Thursday as a “Commonwealth Heroine” by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, she managed calls to residents in quarantine, seniors in need of groceries and families seeking support. Once vaccines became available, she helped clinics vaccinate all of Haverhill’s public safety personnel. Further, she demonstrated her dedication to health equity when she opened a Saturday vaccine clinic in Haverhill’s Mount Washington neighborhood. Connolly was nominated for the designation by state Rep. Andy X. Vargas.
“Mary Connolly represents the best that Haverhill has to offer. She has been a guardian angel to countless residents thorough this pandemic. She stepped up in a major way when our city and community needed her most. It was my honor to nominate her,” said Vargas.
Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women is a state-established body charged with reviewing the status of women in Massachusetts and offering recommendations regarding policy that would improve access to opportunities and equality. The Commission awarded the “Commonwealth Heroine” 2021 designation to women in Massachusetts who use their “time, talent, spirit, and enthusiasm to enrich the lives of others.”