Reinventing the assembly line
THE former Ford Factory has always been at the heart of Geelong, but 2021 has arguably seen the site perform its most important role yet.
The North Geelong site has transitioned from being a car mecca, to becoming the region’s Covid-19 vaccination hub.
Barwon Health has delivered 70 per cent of the region’s vaccinations at the site, which is expected to be key to the delivery of third doses and the vaccination of children under the age of 12.
Site owner Pelligra said Barwon Health’s lease expires in April 2022, but could be extended if the site was still needed as a vaccination hub.
Professor Eugene Athan has been at the forefront of the region’s vaccination rollout, leading the Barwon South West public health unit.
Geelong’s vaccination rate has skyrocketed from just 43 per cent of people, over the age of 16, being fully vaccinated by August 30 to reaching a double vaccination rate of 75.9 per cent this week.
Professor Athan said the hub, through which more than 200,000 doses have been delivered since April 2, was instrumental to more than 95 per cent of Geelong people over 16 having received a single dose of Covid vaccine. More than 300,000 doses have been administered by Barwon Health in total.
Health experts are now working hard to reach out to anyone who has not been vaccinated, including vulnerable groups.
“It’s been our flagship mass
vaccination (hub) for the region, we’ve delivered 70 per cent of Barwon South West doses and we’ve just completed 200,000 this week through the Ford hub,” Professor Athan said.
“We are quite excited, we’ve been really pleased to be part of that – it’s Geelong history as well.”
Professor Athan said young people, aged 12-17, had come out in strong numbers to get vaccinated since gaining eligibility.
Barwon Health chief executive Frances Diver said community partnerships, and the central location of the Ford hub, were “key factors” to the success of Barwon
Health’s vaccination program. “Firstly, access to a large mass vaccination centre where we were able to effectively welcome and vaccinate large numbers of people efficiently on an almost industrial scale,” Ms Diver said.
“This helped us manage the large volume of people needing rapid access.”
Ms Diver said the second factor to the hub’s success was its partnerships with various community groups working on the ground, including GPs, pharmacies, and local and rural health services who are also delivering vaccinations.
“Our local partners have helped us outreach to offer greater access within our community, including working with Diversitat, the Salvation Army, and Wathaurong Aboriginal Health Service,” Ms Diver said.
“By relying on local knowledge with local connections, we’ve been able to reach out to marginalised groups, accurately conveying the vaccination message and providing as much as possible access as possible.”
Professor Athan said staff had worked tirelessly to inform the community about the benefits of vaccination and reach vulnerable groups, including those who speak limited English.
“We’ve spent a lot time and energy engaging with the community, trying to address questions and concerns,” he said.
He said the vaccination mandates, which came into effect on Friday, had been “really pivotal” in convincing people to be more proactive in seeking vaccination.
“Whether it’s for work, for socialising, or going into the future and the freedoms that go with that,” he said.
“The vaccine passport has done a lot of the hard yards for us in terms of getting people into the hub.”
It is expected that operations at the hub could be scaled back by December, but that work on delivering booster doses will continue.
Pelligra national development manager Sean Doyle said the company was “proud” of the role it played in supporting the Geelong community by working with Barwon Health to develop the vaccination hub at the former Ford Factory.
Mr Doyle did not disclose future plans for the vaccination site, but said surrounding buildings were being refurbished for a variety of occupiers, with many already operating on site since early 2021.
WE’VE DELIVERED 70 PER CENT OF BARWON SOUTH WEST DOSES AND WE’VE JUST COMPLETED 200,000 THIS WEEK THROUGH THE FORD HUB. WE ARE QUITE EXCITED, WE’VE BEEN REALLY PLEASED TO BE PART OF THAT — IT’S GEELONG HISTORY AS WELL. PROFESSOR EUGENE ATHAN