Every fall, something pretty remarkable happens in communities across the Upper Valley.

People walk into a community building, a school gym or a local gathering place, roll up their sleeves and get a flu vaccine. The vaccine is free. The process is simple. And most people probably don’t give much thought to everything that happened to make that simple experience possible.

This year marks at least 18 years that the Public Health Council of the Upper Valley, a Lebanon-based nonprofit organization, will host community flu vaccine clinics. We started around 2009 with two clinics in Enfield. This year, there will be seven clinics in rural communities across our region, with the first scheduled to take place Wednesday, Sept. 30, in Enfield. We provide an average of 1,200 vaccinations each year, deliberately locating clinics in rural communities and making them available as hub sites for people from surrounding towns.

These clinics are a wonderful example of what can happen when organizations pool their resources, expertise and relationships to meet a community need. Dartmouth Health provides the vaccine — at no cost to anyone age 10 and older — as well as the supplies and nursing supervision. Medical students from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth are the driving force behind administering the vaccines. Last year, more than 100 medical students volunteered at least once. Healthcare providers affiliated with Geisel also volunteer their time to provide medical oversight.

And then there are the people who make each clinic work locally including town officials, residents, Medical Reserve Corps volunteers and civic organizations. We rely on these partners to help find clinic locations, spread the word and solve the inevitable logistical problems that arise in preparation and during clinics.

No single organization could do all this alone.

This is the kind of work the Public Health Council does every day. We bring together people and organizations that have different resources, expertise and perspectives and help them work together toward a shared goal.

Sometimes the result is as visible as a flu clinic. Other times, the work is less obvious. It might be helping organizations develop a new initiative, connecting people working on the same problem, helping a community navigate a complicated issue or creating a structure that allows several organizations to accomplish something none could accomplish on their own.

The flu clinics also illustrate why relationships matter so much in public health. We have worked with many of the same towns and community partners for years. We know the people to call and they know us. We have earned trust by showing up, following through and working alongside people to address needs in their communities.

When a new concern emerges, such as a gap in services or a chance to make something better, we aren’t starting from scratch. We can pick up the phone, talk with local leaders and begin to figure out together what is needed and who is in the best position to help.

That network extends far beyond the organizations that participate in our flu clinics. The Public Health Council’s work connects municipalities, healthcare providers, human service organizations, schools, nonprofits, businesses, educators and community members across 34 towns in New Hampshire and Vermont.

The connections themselves have value. One conversation can lead to a partnership. A partnership can lead to a shared solution. A shared solution can strengthen the organizations involved, and stronger organizations are better able to serve their communities.

That is the ripple effect of partnership.

Our annual flu clinics are one of the most visible examples of that ripple effect. You can see the result when more than 1,000 people get a vaccine. But the real accomplishment is everything behind those vaccinations: the relationships, trust, and knowledge that make them possible.

So, as we begin this year’s flu clinic season, we are proud to provide an easy way for Upper Valley residents to get protected against influenza. For 25 years, this has been at the heart of PHC’s work: bringing people together, strengthening connections, and helping our communities find ways to act on the conditions that shape health.

Visit uvpublichealth.org/2026-free-community-flu-vaccine-clinics for the flu clinic schedule.

Alice Ely is the executive director of the Public Health Council of the Upper Valley, a Lebanon-based nonprofit organization.