CARIBOU, Maine — Cary Medical Center and Pines Health Services combined their resources to host a community wide COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Nov. 30 at the Caribou Recreation Center.
A total of 304 individuals, including children, attended the three-hour clinic. Staff from both Cary and Pines supported the clinic with a number of nurses providing vaccines and other staff helping to coordinate the movement of people through the site.
In addition to staff from Cary and Pines, nursing students from Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle, pharmacist John Hebert from Hebert’s Rexall Pharmacy in Van Buren, retired nurses from Cary and two medical students from Tufts University also assisted with the clinic.
Regen Gallagher, DO, Chief Medical Officer at Cary said she was thrilled with the turnout of the clinic.
“We figured it would be feast or famine,” said Gallagher, who also leads Cary’s COVID response.
“We had no idea how many people would come out but when we opened the clinic at 3:00 pm it was truly a feast with the parking lot full and a long line waiting. It was most impressive and we are so pleased with the community’s response.”
The clinic combined first shots of either Moderna, Pfizer or the Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine, along with second shots and boosters. Eighteen adults and 30 children received their first doses.
Kris Doody, RN and CEO at Cary, said she was amazed at the turn out and grateful for the efforts of staff.
“We started planning this event just over a week ago,” said Doody who also administered shots at the clinic. “We decided to do the community wide clinic in response to a dramatic surge in positive COVID infections that we are experiencing. We must get people vaccinated. We are seeing a major increase in cases in our Emergency Department and patients are being admitted to our Intensive Care Unit many on ventilators.
“Our staff has been remarkably resilient but this increased volume and more positive cases is increasing the burden. It would really take the pressure off if people would get vaccinated,” she said.
The uptick in positive COVID cases has impacted the surgical schedule at Cary. The hospital has also opened up additional in-patient care areas. Staff traditionally working in the Operating Room are now helping to support patient care on the in-patient units. Doody said the response of hospital personnel has been a reflection of the Cary culture.
“We have rehab staff helping in housekeeping, we have nurses in Oncology pitching in on our inpatient units, many staff are working extra shifts supporting each other — it is just the Cary way,” said Doody. “I have never been more proud of everyone at both Cary and Pines. It is really remarkable to witness their courageous performance.”
The idea of bringing staff from both Cary and Pines together for the clinic was critical in helping to move the volume of people through the process. Sherri Dumont, DO and medical director for Pines Health Services, also worked the clinic. She said it was great to see the two organizations working together.
“We know we are all in this together,” said Dumont, who is an internal medicine specialist.
“Working together to address this pandemic is the only and best way to proceed. It also helps bring staff at both organizations closer together. We would not have been able to offer this event and provide the number of vaccines we did without this collaboration,” she said.
“I was so delighted to see such a wonderful turnout for our clinic. We saw people of all ages come in requesting both initial vaccine and boosters. It was a testament to the people of our community again stepping forward to protect themselves, their loved ones and their community at large,” Dumont said.
COVID cases are surging in Aroostook County with all four hospitals experiencing dramatic volume increases. In November alone the County recorded 1,344 new cases with 18 people requiring hospitalization and nine deaths, Cary/Pines officials said.
All County hospital CEOs are urging residents to get vaccinated and for those who are eligible to get their booster.
Vaccination rates inn The County have gone up over the past three months from 56.5 percent of the total population on Sept. 1 to 63 percent on Dec. 1. Statewide, 68 percent of all residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 according to Maine’s vaccination dashboard.
