Patience Urged as Hospitals Carry Out This Historic Effort to Vaccinate the First Vermonters Against COVID-19
Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center is entering its second week of COVID-19 vaccinations and is pleased to begin administering the vaccine to community-based providers. The hospital continues to vaccinate its own patient-facing staff as well as EMS personnel. The process for vaccine distribution was developed by the CDC and Vermont Department of Health and all Vermont hospitals are playing a part in assisting with its implementation.
To administer the vaccine to community health care workers identified in the first phase of the state’s plan, the hospital has created a clinic on the grounds of the Champlain Valley Exposition (CVE) in Essex Junction.
“We have worked swiftly and closely with the State of Vermont and our community partners to stand up a clinic to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine as efficiently as possible, and we’re proud to be a part of this historic moment,” said Howard Schapiro, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Population Health and Quality Officer for the UVM Health Network. “We know there is a strong desire, especially within the health care community, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and we will administer the vaccine as quickly as supplies allow.”
UVM Medical Center's Critical Care Transport Team Manager, Michael Conti, is leading the effort at the CVE and the Critical Care Transport Team staff are overseeing operations at the vaccine clinic.
"It's been exciting to see people coming in and happy to receive the vaccine. It's just an incredible experience," Conti said. "It feels like our team has come full circle now – from setting up a testing center here in the spring to now administering the vaccine and hopefully bringing an end to this pandemic. We are grateful to the CVE for their help in this effort."
We will be reaching out directly to state-identified staff or employers to schedule vaccinations based on the state's guidance and there is no action health care workers need to take at this time to have an appointment scheduled.
Jill Mazza Olson is Executive Director of the VNAs of Vermont, the organization that represents home health and hospice agencies. Home health and hospice agency workers began receiving the vaccine this week. They have been an important partner caring for COVID-19 patients at home, preserving valuable hospital space for the sickest Vermonters.
“We are grateful and relieved to begin vaccinations for our staff and want to thank the hospitals for once again stepping in to meet a new challenge in our pandemic response,” said Olson. “We are proud to be part of a health care coalition that always puts the needs of Vermonters first.”
As more guidance is released and more supply of vaccine is received, we will extend vaccines to include additional community health care workers identified in later phases of the state’s plan. Health care personnel includes clinical staff, nursing or medical assistants, as well as support staff, such as those who work in food, environmental, and administrative services.
Details for vaccine distributions among other health care workers in later weeks are still being developed by the State and we will share more information as it is available.
“This is a rapidly evolving process and we’re thankful to the community for their patience and continued vigilance,” Schapiro said.
Links for Reference:
• State of Vermont Plan and Information to Vaccinate Health Care Professionals
• State of Vermont Department of Health Vaccination Recommendations
• State of Vermont December 8 Presentation on Vaccination Clinic Coordination
About the University of Vermont Medical Center
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a 499-bed tertiary care regional referral center providing advanced care to approximately 1 million residents in Vermont and northern New York. Together with our partners at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, we are Vermont’s academic medical center. The University of Vermont Medical Center also serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties.
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a member of The University of Vermont Health Network, an integrated system established to deliver high quality academic medicine to every community we serve.
For more information visit www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenter or go to their Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blog sites at www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenterSocialMedia.
Source: BURLINGTON, Vt., – The University of Vermont Medical Center 12.23.2020