CITY READY TO STAGE COVID-19 VACCINE CLINICS
Mayor says Mall at Whitney Field is the perfect spot
LEOMINSTER » The Mall at Whitney Field has already been used as a COVID-19 vaccine administering site for area public safety workers, which begs the question — can and will it be used for larger scale vaccine clinics for the general public as vaccine phases are rolled out?
Mayor Dean Mazzarella said the city has had plans in place for quite some time to utilize the commercial space at the mall for vaccine clinics — and are ready to administer vaccines to people who qualify for the phases currently open and future phases as soon as they receive additional doses of the vaccine.
“We are all set up in there,” he said of the mall. “The mall has been like hey, whatever you need from us. It is a clean space, heated, handicap accessible, and there is plenty of room.”
According to Mazzarella the city already meets the three criteria the Baker administration released on Feb. 24 that collaborative vaccine clinics must meet: have the capacity to vaccinate a minimum of 750 individuals per day, five days per week (subject to vaccine availability); meet an administration rate threshold of 85% and report doses within 24 hours; and be open to all residents of the commonwealth (collaborations may focus outreach efforts towards those who live or work in the area, but must be open to all Massachusetts residents).
“We met those a long time ago,” Mazzarella said of the criteria, adding that nurses and other health care personnel have come into City Hall and contacted him offering to help with vaccine clinics. “A nursing supervisor showed up this morning asking what we need. A lot of people have volunteered; we have them ready to go.”
Right now, it is simply a waiting game. Mazzarella said the
biggest issues hindering hosting additional clinics is vaccine availability, although it seems that hope is on the horizon.
“The number of vaccines available goes up every day but then it gets spread out to different sites,” he said. “It appears Johnson & Johnson is supposed to be approved for (millions of ) vaccines by the end of the month.”
Mazzarella said 200 police, fire, EMS, emergency management, and other public safety workers, “any from the area who wanted to come,” were vaccinated inside the mall by nurses from Montachusett Public Health Network on Jan. 9 and then Feb. 9 for their second Moderna shot.
“It was perfect,” he said of the vaccine clinic space where Maurice’s (clothing store) used to be. “It is in between two entrances and we had chairs set up and restrooms. It went very smoothly; we clearly could have done more.”
Mazzarella said the large, indoor space is ideal for the vaccine clinics.
“There is no reason why this area should not have a dedicated site to serve the area,” he said. “We are the second largest city in Worcester County.”
Mazzarella said the clinics were made possible through a collaboration with police, fire, Board of Health, emergency management, and City Hall, and that they are working with Fitchburg regarding finalizing a suitable location for future clinics, noting there are around 100,000 residents between the two cities.
“We don’t care where it goes, it just has to be convenient for the region,” he said. “Within a five mile radius of Leominster is 250,000 people. It can’t be any easier. We are so close to everybody and we are trying to provide as many options as possible.”
Mazzarella said the clinics will be open to anyone.
“Some people wanted to keep them for people in their community, but that has never been our plan,” he said. “We want to help everybody, including the underserved.”
According to Mazzarella plans have been in place since last year to hold vaccine clinics in the city. The city purchased a freezer for vaccine storage back in December, and Mazzarella said it is doing everything it can to help people get vaccinated now at clinics across the state while it waits for more vaccine doses.
“We have a hotline, and we post on social media to let people know what is open,” he said. “We will continue to match people with vaccination sites. Our goal is to uncomplicate the government process. People are anxious and trying to move on with their lives. We field calls 24/7, and the added frustration is that people are not able to get appointments.”
Mazzarella said the city will be happy to help provide transportation to vaccine clinic sites for those who need it — with a handicap accessible emergency management van, or even paying for it.
“A lot of people cannot make the hour ride to Greenfield or Fenway,” he said. “We will manage to get them there. Our object is to help people in whatever way is possible, from testing to getting information out there and getting people vaccinated.”
Mazzarella said City Hall staff will be calling city residents 75 and older starting this week, estimating they will place between 2,000 to 3,000 calls.
“We want to make sure they are OK and that they have all of the information, see if they need any help,” he said.
State Sen. John Cronin, who represents WorcesterMiddlesex District, which includes Leominster, posted on social media on Monday regarding vaccine clinics in the area and across the state.
“Today I joined many of my colleagues in the Legislature to urge the Baker administration to reassess the vaccine appointment system and to allow local municipalities to continue to administer COVID-19 vaccines,” Cronin wrote. “Local communities and boards of health must be provided the resources to fight COVID-19 in their cities and towns. It is critical that we utilize municipal and local community sites and empower our local communities to take care of their residents.”
According to mass.gov, around 50,000 new vaccine clinic appointments were added on Feb. 25 at mass vaccination locations across the commonwealth including Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium, Springfield, Danvers, Dartmouth, and Natick. Retail pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens will also administer over 20,000 doses next week, and additional vaccine clinic locations will be added in the coming weeks. Individuals will need to confirm they are eligible to get vaccinated in the current phase.
COVID-19 vaccines are currently available in Leominster by appointment at the Hannaford pharmacies on Lancaster Street and Merriam Avenue and at UMass Memorial HealthAlliance Clinton Hospital – Leominster Campus.