The city of Worcester is working to expand access to free menstrual products at public facilities.
In response to a city council order, Julie Lynch the chief of public facilities, developed a proposal to phase in the distribution of free menstrual products at 12 year-round city facilities, according to documents she prepared to provide an update to the city council prior to its meeting Tuesday.
At-Large Councilor Thu Nguyen first suggested the move on the council floor in November 2022.
Determining how to implement the program involved looking at which city departments already offered free menstrual products, according to Lynch.
Worcester Public Library has offered the patrons at the Main and Frances Perkins branches free menstrual products for the past 12 years through funding from the United Way and the city’s Health and Human Services Department, but the library expressed to the public facilities department that it would welcome sustained support for a more robust program, according to Lynch.
The Department of Public Works and Parks began offering free menstrual products at Green Hill Golf Course in the spring, and if the department gets funding approval they have identified six other parks sites that they could start offering the same, Lynch said.
Those sites include Lake Park, Beaver Brook, Elm Park, 50 Officer Manny Familia Way, and two community buildings, according to documents submitted to city council. Parks Department staff would be responsible for installing dispensers and maintaining the program, according to Lynch.
Union Station can also begin offering menstrual products through its cleaning contract if the Worcester Redevelopment Authority approves, Lynch said. Similarly, through amending the city’s Municipal Building Cleaning contract, products can be made available at City Hall, the city’s Meade Street property, and the Senior Center and continue to be offered at the Main and Frances Perkins Library and additionally.
DPF would fund the efforts this year through free cash and then build the cost into its budget in subsequent years, according to Lynch. The department’s use of free cash for that purpose has been tentatively approved by City Manager Eric Batista.
The initial cost to launch the program is an estimated $36,500, which includes $22,000 for dispensers and $14,500 for the initial menstrual products, according to a letter Batista sent to council.
The schedule has the programs starting at 25 Meade Street, the Senior Center, and City Hall in March 2024 and in Union Station in July 2024. The timeline for installation of dispensers and distribution of products at the Parks sites is summer 2024.
Kiernan Dunlop is an award-winning journalist who has spent the past five years reporting in Worcester, New Bedford, and Antigua and Barbuda. Her work has been published in Bloomberg, USA Today, Canary Media, MassLive, and the New Bedford Standard Times, among other outlets. She can be contacted at kdunlop@theworcesterguardian.org
