Date of Award
5-2022
Document Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Master of Public Health (MPH)
Department
Public Health
Abstract
In November 2020, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) requested assistance from Maine hospitals to dispense COVID-19 vaccines. Mid Coast Hospital became a point of dispensing for Sagadahoc and Northern Cumberland Counties. Mid Coast Hospital became a MaineHealth member in January 2021, and benefitted from policies, procedures, and support of the larger MaineHealth system but did not adopt the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system used by MaineHealth to schedule appointments, register patients and document vaccination until November 2021. The inability to use the EMR system required and allowed Mid Coast Hospital to make adaptations to the MaineHealth model, including an alternative online scheduling and eligibility screening system, unique registration forms, and a system to record each immunization with the State of Maine. These procedures had to be nimble and responsive to rapidly changing state mandates and weekly fluctuations in vaccine allocation, and meet the needs of the community, especially those who faced technology, mobility, literacy, and language barriers. I was assigned to serve as the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Director in November 2020 to plan and operate Mid Coast Hospital’s COVID-19 community vaccination efforts.
This community guide provides guidance and templates used to turn the Town of Brunswick’s Parks and Recreation building into an efficient, high-volume community clinic, able to administer 800 vaccines a day, while following pandemic health guidelines. The resources can be adopted and adapted by anyone interested in offering vaccines to their community. This successful model allowed Mid Coast Hospital to dispense 56,466 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from January to May 2021 (Dumas, 2022).
Recommended Citation
Fochesato, Melissa, "Planning and Implementing a Large-Scale COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Recommendations, Reflections and Lessons Learned & A Guide for Maine Communities" (2022). Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations. 175.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/muskie_capstones/175
