COVID Chronicle June 2021

Beyond Mass Vaccinations Not only did vaccines arrive faster than we anticipated, the positive response from our communities has been overwhelming, leading to the wind down of large-scale vaccination sites across the state through the month of May. While thousands of people may not be seeking vaccine every day, there are still pockets of underserved populations and people who haven’t been able to get the vaccine for one reason or another. Large scale vaccination sites may have been the starter’s pistol for herd immunity, but it’s long term vaccination planning at walk in care centers, for inpatients in hospitals, and at primary and specialty care practices that will get us over the finish line.

“For many people, waiting until they could get vaccinated at their primary care provider was the only solution they ever considered. They know their provider and their care team and know that we take good care of them. Every provider I know is looking forward to meeting with patients and answering their questions. Just because someone hasn’t sought vaccination at a large-scale clinic doesn’t mean that they won’t get vaccinated, it may just mean it wasn’t the right setting for them and we’re here to help.”

Gavin Ducker, MD SVP and Co-President

Vaccinations aren’t the only COVID-19 specific service that will need a shifting long-term plan. As more people are vaccinated, and fewer people contract COVID-19, offsite testing will also be changing. The facilities team is partnering with Northern Light Health members around the state to develop long term plans both for safe testing in the future, and to repurpose the testing structures for future use.

Northern Light Medical Group

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