Vaccination clinic held at Cargill
Distribution of COVID-19 vaccine moves into Phase 1B.3 in Colorado
On Friday, March 5, with the guidance of Colorado Depar tment of Public Health & Environment, the Nor theast Colorado Health Depar tment (NCHD) began vaccinating Coloradan’s in Phase 1B.3 of the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution plan, according to a news release.
This phase includes people age 60 and older, people 16-59 with two or more high-risk conditions and frontline essential workers in grocer y and agriculture. The intent of this classification is to prioritize current grocer y and agriculture workers who cannot maintain physical distance from others at their place of employment, who work in close contact with many people, especially indoors, and in places with poor ventilation including meatpacking workers; grocer y store workers; and agricultural processing workers.
To mark that occasion, NCHD hosted an on-site COVID-19 vaccination clinic, also known as a Point of Dispensing, or POD, at Cargill Protein in Fort Morgan, on Friday and Saturday, March 5 and 6.
“Knowing how hard hit the Cargill community was last spring with COVID illness and death, it was a relief to be able to bring vaccinations to this essential and vulnerable population,” Trish McClain, NCHD Public Health Director, said.
Over 90 NCHD staf f and volunteers worked a combined total of 1,159 personnel hours in the two days vaccinations were offered to Cargill employees working the three shifts between 4 a.m. and 10 p.m. Two-thirds of this staffing was made up of community volunteers from both Morgan and Logan counties. Nursing volunteers from five organizations provided vaccination and medical super vision to over 900 Cargill employees.
“With over 25 different languages spoken, the
translation and interpretation support provided by volunteers was outstanding and greatly appreciated,” the news release stated.
The health depar tment offered its acknowledgement and gratitude to the organizations who made this enormous vaccinating endeavor possible: Marathon Health, One Morgan County, Morgan County Ambulance Ser vice, Morgan Community College – Nursing Program, Northeastern Junior College – Nursing Program, Colorado Depar tment of Public Health & Environment, Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Teamsters Local 455 of Fort Morgan.
“With the opening of Phase 1B.3, this is just the beginning,” McClain assured. “Our six-county health district employs a lot of agriculture and grocer y workers, and we are committed to of fering vaccine to ever yone who wants it, through our existing clinics, PODs, and par tnering with our regional healthcare providers who have done a phenomenal job in getting vaccine out into the communities.”
NCHD’s six-county health district includes Morgan, Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington and Yuma counties.
NCHD asked the decision makers or owners of grocery or agriculture facilities located in one of these counties that would like to offer employee vaccinations to visit https:// www.nchd.org/covid-19vaccine, click on the “Agriculture and Grocery POD Inquiry Form” button, and fill out and submit the pop-up form. An NCHD COVID-19 Response Coordinator then will be in contact to discuss employee vaccination options.