Brunswick Agency Holds Maine First Vaccination Clinic

Monday’s cold temperatures and strong winds could not stop the Independence Association from holding its first COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Maine.

The Brunswick non-profit organization, which provides housing and other services for adults with mental disabilities, has vaccinated about 70 clients and 90 caregivers outside the headquarters at 3 Industrial Parkway. Guardian Pharmacy of Maine, whose headquarters are conveniently located next door, staffed four pharmacists in the clinic.

The agency arranged the driveway because many of its clients have underlying health conditions that put them at greater risk for serious illness and death if they contract COVID-19 and live in a community setting that increases the chance of the virus spreading.

In car care, caregivers and their clients move slowly through registration, vaccination, and observation points, with most of their windows down to get the first of two Moderna shots in their upper arms. Some in wheelchairs were vaccinated outside their vehicles.

“We waited patiently for two hours and we are both glad we got the vaccine,” said Robert Hipp, a direct support person who managed a client to be vaccinated. “It was cold and windy, but it was good to be vaccinated eventually.”

The clinic, which took place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., was the first COVID-19 vaccination effort known by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. With temps in the low thirties, the mostly outdoor operation was a little surprising in midwinter Maine, but it would happen regardless of the weather.

“We wanted that to happen,” said Ray Nagel, executive director of the Independence Association. ‘We had about 20 staff members who ran the clinic, and they dressed for the role. And it was sunny outside, so it was warm if you stayed in sunshine. ‘

Nagel said the transit clinic enables its agency to vaccinate a large number of people under strict public health and safety protocols and within a relatively short period of time.

“The average wait was about 2 hours,” Nagel said. “It sounds like a long time, but it’s not when you’re trying to be safe and do things in an organized way.”

Colby Padula, a client at Community Living, received a first dose of vaccine in Brunswick on Monday. The transit clinic, believed to be the first in Maine, is organized by the Independence Association, which provides housing and other services for adults with mental disabilities. About 70 clients and 90 caregivers were vaccinated. Ben McCanna / Staff Photographer

The clinic also limits the clients’ risk of developing COVID-19 during the process, regardless of whether they are eventually vaccinated or not, Nagel said. Some customers did not want to be vaccinated after their arrival because they were anxious or upset.

Because of the agency’s continued vigilance during the pandemic, none of its residential clients tested positive for coronavirus, Nagel said.

“We know that people with intellectual and physical disabilities who live in a community setting have a much higher risk,” Nagel said.

Independence Association offers three types of housing to people with intellectual and physical disabilities: housing for groups, housing communities with independent housing and shared housing, all with home support to meet individual needs.

A study of more than 8 million adults in the UK found that people with Down syndrome were four times more likely to be admitted to hospital with COVID-19 than the general population, and according to the Annals it is ten times more likely to die from it. of Internal Medicine.

Down syndrome is a genetic condition associated with immune function, congenital heart disease and lung pathology, according to the British study. It is also the most common congenital condition, occurring in 1 in every 700 births, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mali Mrozinski, a manager at Spindleworks, received a first dose of vaccine in Brunswick on Monday. About 200 service providers and people with intellectual disabilities received the vaccine at a vaccination clinic. Ben McCanna / Staff Photographer

Nagel said Maine is ahead of other states because it prioritizes residents of long-term and community care facilities in Phase 1A of its vaccination plan, according to the Maine CDC website. Phase 1B, which begins in February but is already slow, includes people aged 70 and over and people with underlying health conditions who are at high risk for serious diseases if they contract COVID-19, such as Down syndrome. .

The Association of Independence pre-registered clients and caregivers before Monday’s clinic and obtained prior written consent, health history and health insurance information, Nagel said. Staff checked each car load on arrival, picked up names, assigned a number to each vehicle and placed an identification sheet under the windshield wiper.

As the row of cars moved under the entrance to the agency’s porch, staff members entered the information sheet, where the data was recorded in a central online registry linked to the Maine CDC, Nagel said. After the occupants of a car were registered, a pharmacist went to the waiting car, asked several questions about their health history, and vaccinated each individual.

“It’s very rewarding for myself and my team to be part of the solution,” said Courtney Oland, president and owner of Guardian Pharmacy of Maine, which serves long-term care and community facilities.

The drivers of each car were instructed to go to a waiting area where staff members would observe their reactions to the vaccine for 15 minutes, Nagel said. The drivers were asked to monitor the reactions of others in their car and honk the horn if there were signs of allergic reactions or other problems; a pharmacist would respond with an epinephrine motor injection pen and a staff member would call 911.

“There were no medical problems,” Nagel said. A few customers had panic attacks suppressed by a pharmacist, he said.

The Independence Association was founded in 1966 and serves more than 400 adults and children in nine Maine provinces with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Nagel said his agency will hold a second vaccination clinic on Feb. 22 to give a shot to the clients and caregivers who received a first dose on Monday and give it to others for the first time. Eventually, about 300 customers and nearly 250 staff members will be vaccinated.

Robert Hipp, the direct support person, said his client is looking forward to it.

“She was worried about the vaccine for months,” Hipp said. ‘Now, she said she’s glad to have it. She’s an artist and she’s looking forward to getting back into the studio. This is what she lives for. ”

“Previous

Next »

Related stories