TEWKSBURY — Town nurse Ashley Pavlakos loves her job. Pavlakos shares a passion for public health and community outreach and is excited to bring new ideas and health education initiatives to Tewkesbury.

Pavlakos comes to town through a state-funded Public Health Excellence grant. Pavlakos’ position is to provide regional support with resources in Tewkesbury, Billerica, Chelmsford and Tinsborough.

Fortunately for residents, she is in Tewkesbury 30 hours a week. Pavlakos also says she stays in Tyngsborough for 10 hours a week and supports other health department operations as needed. For example, Pavlakos will be helping out at her flu clinic in Chelmsford next week.

Pavlakos has been the town health nurse since January. The Town Nurse’s office is located in City Hall on the bottom floor near the other Health Department offices.

She wants residents to know she can help with all types of health and wellness needs and answer questions.

A trained RN, Pavlakos has had careers in medical/surgical, telemetry, and emergency rooms before becoming interested in switching to public health nursing.

Pavlakos graduated from UMass Lowell with a BSN.

“During COVID, our schedules were tough, so we needed a change,” Pavlakos said.

Based on her experience in the ER, Pavlakos felt she could make an impact by working one-on-one with residents, answering questions and directing people to helpful resources.

“I felt we could avoid the problem of people going to the ER,” Pavlakos said.

Pavlakos was also drawn to the diversity of jobs, supporting residents and meeting a wide range of needs.

In addition to health prevention activities, Pavlakos has several initiatives that it is looking forward to bringing to town. Raising her awareness of sun safety and partnering with her Public Safety Night in town has been a highlight of her recent past for her.

Pavlakos is also looking to bring youth mental health first aid classes into town to educate teachers, parents and community leaders about recognizing the signs of youth at risk.

Recently certified as a CPR Instructor, Pavlakos plans to offer free CPR and AED (Automated External Defibrillator) instruction to the community. Pavlakos is also part of the newly revived Hoarding Task Force, a collaborative effort among his nine communities sharing resources and expertise.

As flu season approaches, Pavlakos gets a flu vaccine. She had her flu on September 27th from 9am to noon at the Senior Center, from October 3rd from 9am to 10am in the Saunders Circle Community Room and from October 3rd at the Delaney Drive Community Room. runs her clinic.10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

On the afternoon of October 3rd, she will be hosting a flu clinic from 3pm to 4pm in the Carnation Drive Community Room. – 11 am. You can help residents check their heart rate and blood oxygen levels. This service is free to the community.

Pavlakos wants residents to know that more COVID tests will be conducted and announced to the community as they arrive. She also wants to remind residents to stay vigilant regarding hand washing and other health precautions for her COVID-19. Pavlakos also help residents find booster shots.

If you would like to discuss any health issues or concerns with Pavlakos, please contact us at 978-640-4473.