Walk-ins offer flexibility for those seeking vaccine
Mohegan Sun clinic, among others, welcomes people without appointments
Brooke and Bryan Fillion of Pawcatuck wanted to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but with a newborn baby at home and his work schedule, they said they needed flexibility with their scheduling.
When Bryan saw on Facebook that Yale-New Haven Health’s clinic at Mohegan Sun was accepting walk-ins, the married couple in their late 20s decided to go together on Saturday morning, while Brooke’s mother, who already is vaccinated, watched the baby.
“It all lined up perfect,” Bryan said.
They walked in, waited briefly in line to go to the registration desk and then got their shots at vaccination stations next to each other in the main area. The couple said they wanted to be vaccinated to protect their newborn daughter and also felt it would give them a semblance of normalcy and make them not so worried when they go out.
Yale New Haven Health recently opened up its mass vaccination sites to walk-ins, as well as by appointment. The Fillions were among the people who took the opportunity to walk in to Mohegan Sun on Saturday for a COVID-19 vaccine, as Yale New Haven Health, which has been holding vaccination clinics at Mohegan Sun since late February, began promoting walk-ins there starting last Sunday.
The clinic on Saturday had 1,050 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for scheduled and walkin patients, for their first or second dose, said Karen Butterworth-Erban, administrative director of ambulatory for Lawrence + Memorial and Westerly hospitals and the clinic site lead.
She said many people say walk-ins offer convenience and they like that they don’t have to worry about planning an appointment into their already busy schedules. They may be at the casino for the day, or they may be bringing a friend or a loved one to a vaccine appointment and then see they can get a dose, too.
“We’ve reached a point where supply is beginning to exceed demand, so we have greater flexibility in allowing
“We’ve reached a point where supply is beginning to exceed demand, so we have greater flexibility in allowing patients to present in different ways so we can get them vaccinated.” KAREN BUTTERWORTH-ERBAN, ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR OF AMBULATORY FOR LAWRENCE + MEMORIAL AND WESTERLY HOSPITALS AND THE CLINIC SITE LEAD
patients to present in different ways so we can get them vaccinated,” Butterworth-Erban said.
By 11 a.m., the site had about 40 walk-ins, and recent clinics that have allowed walk-ins have seen between 100 and 125 walk-ins, she said.
People received their shots at vaccination stations, which were sanitized after each person, and then went to sit down in an area where they were monitored for about 15 minutes and, if they received their first dose, were scheduled for an appointment for their second dose.
T.K. Wong, 40, of Norwich, who works at Mohegan Sun, said the company called employees one by one about the vaccine. He walked into the clinic on Saturday, a process he found easier than scheduling online.
“It’s great because I guess everyone has to take it just to get everything back to normal,” he said of getting the vaccine. He also said he will be prepared if he travels. His wife went the week before and he went on Saturday to space out their appointments in case they had any side effects.
Francis McGuill, 85, said he was all set to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine when that vaccine temporarily was paused, and then later reinstated, and he has been waiting for another Johnson & Johnson vaccine appointment.
When he drove down from his hometown in West Boylston, Mass., on Saturday morning to go to Mohegan Sun, he happened to notice the signs for the clinic and decided to seize the opportunity. He asked if he could get vaccinated here and was told he could. He said the site was very easy and convenient.
The clinic recently began allowing patients from out of state, said Fiona Phelan, spokeswoman for L+M and Westerly Hospitals: “We have a lot of vaccine we’d like to get into people’s arms,” she said.
“It’s something everybody should do, and it’ll be a relief to be vaccinated,” McGuill said.
A vaccination clinic, open to walk-ins and appointments, will be held Sunday at Mohegan Sun, with the first appointment at 8:30 a.m. and the last at 7:15 p.m.
More information on Yale New Haven Health clinics, including those at Mohegan Sun, is available by visiting ynhhs. org/covidvaccine.