WEST NEWBURY — The Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative is pleased to announce that it will host three community COVID-19 vaccination clinics for all eligible age groups with first, second and booster doses available.
WHEN:
Monday, Dec. 27, Jan. 3 and Jan. 10, from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
A series of Monday evening clinics will administer first, second and booster doses of all vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen) to all eligible age groups.
First and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Pediatric Vaccine — the same vaccine administered to adults but at a lower dosage — will be administered to those age 5 to 11 with a signed consent form from a parent or guardian.
The CDC recommends anyone age 5 and older get the vaccine in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 as cases continue to rise following the Omicron variant.
The CDC recommends that those who have completed a full Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna regimen seek out a booster shot six months after their second dose, and that those who received a Janssen dose seek a booster shot two months after their initial vaccination. Individuals can check if they are eligible for a booster by using the eligibility tool at mass.gov/BoosterCheck.
Vaccines are free. Insurance is not required. Attendees will be required to wear masks and maintain physical distance in accordance with current Massachusetts guidelines regarding clinics.
To make an appointment to receive a booster at the clinics in West Newbury, click here.
The Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative comprises Amesbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury and West Newbury.
WEST NEWBURY — The Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative is pleased to announce that it will host two community COVID-19 vaccination clinics for those seeking booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
WHEN
Wednesday, Dec. 15, and Wednesday, Dec. 22, from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Clinics will administer booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which has been authorized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration for those ages 5 and older. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is a two-dose regimen, with three weeks between first and second doses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has authorized a “mix-and-match” approach to booster shots. Clinics will deliver booster shots to anyone who qualifies, whether the patient received the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna regimen, or the single-dose Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).
The CDC recommends that those who have received a full Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna regimen seek out a booster shot after six months, and that those who received a Janssen dose seek a booster shot two months after their initial vaccination.
Individuals can check if they are eligible for a booster by using the eligibility tool at mass.gov/BoosterCheck.
To learn more about the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, please clickhere.
Vaccines are free. Insurance is not required. Attendees will be required to wear masks and maintain physical distance, in accordance with current Massachusetts guidelines regarding clinics.
To make an appointment to receive a booster at the clinics in West Newbury, click here.
The Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative comprises Amesbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury and West Newbury.
For the first time this past weekend, patients at the Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative vaccine clinic included those who aren’t yet old enough to drive themselves to their appointment.
Over the weekend, the Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative health clinic administered first-dose COVID-19 vaccinations for the first time to members of the general public 16 years old and older.
Amesbury Fire Chief Ken Berkenbush (left) and West Newbury Health Agent Paul Sevigny (center) talk with West Newbury Fire Chief Michael Dwyer at the regional clinic on Saturday, April 17. Berkenbush and Sevigny are Incident Commanders for the clinic, responsible for all facets of the operation. (Photo Courtesy Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative)
With the Janssen vaccine on hold, the clinic maintained 14 stations last weekend to move clients through check-in even more quickly. (Photo Courtesy Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative)
Tents were added at the entrance of the Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative vaccine clinic on Saturday, April 17, to keep visitors and outdoor volunteers dry. (Photo Courtesy Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative)
AMESBURY – Visitors to the Lowell Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative vaccine clinic will see a smoothly-run operation filled with professional staff and dedicated local volunteers.
What visitors do not see are the countless hours of behind-the-scenes planning among the leadership team, beginning the Monday morning after every clinic.
“Sometimes, it’s Sunday night,” says Nurse Manager Diane Dardeno, who will break down the weekend with fellow Nurse Manager Tina LaCourse as Amesbury firefighters are breaking down the high school gymnasium at the end of the weekend clinic. “The goal is to be ready to go on Monday morning.”
The clinic operates under the Incident Command System, which is standard in fire services. Amesbury Fire Chief Ken Berkenbush and West Newbury Health Agent Paul Sevigny serve as Incident Commanders, working the clinic site throughout each weekend to ensure smooth operations and spot potential challenges.
The clinic effort started in January, when the City of Newburyport obtained 800 Moderna doses. During six clinics, two in Newburyport and four in West Newbury, first responders and and residents age 75 and older received the two-shot regimen. Last weekend’s clinic, 12 hours total, administered 3,143 Pfizer doses. The previous weekend clinic, totaling 16 hours, administered more than 4,050 doses with no waste.
“When you grow by that many times, you can have that many more times the problems,” Sevigny says.
Sevigny and Berkenbush convene a Monday video chat to review the weekend, hear from key team members about which systems worked and which can be improved upon, brainstorm solutions and begin planning for the coming weekend’s clinics. The rest of the week is spent executing those plans, through Friday night when the clinic is set up again. The goal is continuous improvement.
Change is a constant. Canopy tents were added at the outdoor screening to protect clients from Saturday’s rain. Space heaters were brought in to fight off the cold, ensuring that outdoor volunteers remained comfortable.
Other challenges require planning and reassessment. Volunteers with internet technology experience were sought because client registration and processing needs grew and tested Amesbury High School’s network.
In the early weeks, the observation area regularly filled, and some newly vaccinated people had to wait for a seat. “Some people hadn’t been out in a while. They were just having a nice time,” and overstaying their 15-minute medical wait, Chief Berkenbush said. The team’s solution: Observation area volunteers now call out dismissal times every minute, increasing turnover.
The team also revamped its waitlist callback system to fill open appointments, because vaccines have become more readily available, and the number of no-shows/cancellations have risen. This step ensures no dose is wasted.
The first clinic operated with about 25 volunteers. Now more than 200 people volunteer on a weekend and are assigned one of 11 specific tasks from greeter to medical scribe.
Streamlining operations has cut average vaccination times from four minutes per person about three minutes, enabling the clinic to vaccinate about one-third more people per day. The clinic passed 19,000 total vaccinations on Sunday.
The clinic is successful because of a simple focus: Put a good team on the field, provide a lot of support, and collaborate.
“It takes a village,” Sevigny says. “It takes great staff, dedicated volunteers, everybody.”
Erin Rich, Director of Volunteer Services, adds, “When a problem arises, everyone collaborates. We’re all asking, ‘What’s the best solution.’ That’s a big part of it.”
Patients leave with a smile, and often with praise for the clinic’s speed, efficiency, and professionalism.
“In the end people see everything went smoothly. It promotes a general feeling of wellness,” Chief Berkenbush said.
The Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative comprises Amesbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury, and West Newbury.
JGPR is providing communications services to this effort on a pro bono basis.
The Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative has been notified by the Massachusetts Department of Public Heath that federal authorities have called for a pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, effective immediately.
AMESBURY — Some work in schools, others in hospitals. Some are retired, while others are just starting out in their careers. But the nurses of the Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative all have one thing in common: they are passionate about helping their friends and neighbors through this ongoing pandemic.
AMESBURY — Firefighters, chiefs, police officers, emergency medical technicians, paramedics and one extremely loveable therapy dog comprise the badge-wearing segment of friendly faces patients run into at the Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic.
AMESBURY — Amesbury Fire Chief Ken Berkenbush and West Newbury health agent Paul Sevigny, on behalf the nine-community Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Collaborative, is pleased to be able to highlight some of the hundreds of volunteers who helped make this past weekend’s vaccine clinic a success.
