NHH opens Vaccine Clinic to highest priority providers at HKPR hospitals
Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) is very pleased to announce that vaccine has arrived and the ‘green light’ has been received from the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU) to launch our COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic. Per HKPRDHU’s direction, the NHH Clinic will serve highest priority NHH health-care providers as well as highest priority health-care providers from all HKPR hospitals (Campbellford Memorial, Haliburton Highlands and Ross Memorial) until such time that Clinics at these hospitals are up and running as well.
Following a successful test phase late yesterday, February 24, the NHH COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic began administering the first local doses of Pfizer vaccine this afternoon. A small number of the highest priority NHH staff and physicians received the first dose of their vaccine on day one of what is expected to be a multi-day Clinic. Moving forward through the next five to seven days, highest priority staff, physicians and midwives from NHH as well as all three area hospitals identified above will also be scheduled.
“Front-line care providers across our system have shown, and continue to show, exceptional commitment to their patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, often under very challenging circumstances. We are very relieved to have the first allotment of this vaccine available to us for distribution to those who are called upon to care for patients,” said Linda Davis, President and CEO of NHH and the lead for NHH’s inter-disciplinary Vaccine Steering Committee. “We will work closely with our colleagues at HKPR and surrounding hospitals to ensure that highest-priority health-care workers in all four of our region’s hospitals have access to the vaccine until such time that their own clinics are up and running. It is our privilege to support storage of this sensitive product in Northumberland and, as directed, vaccination of other Phase One health-care providers and priority populations in our region.”
“We thank NHH for their preparation and willingness to take on this responsibility at this time,” says Dr. Ian Gemmill, Acting Medical Officer of the Health with the HKPRDHU. “The hospital and its staff have worked with the local public health agency throughout this pandemic, and this is just another example of their commitment to the community and its residents.”
With the delivery of the Pfizer vaccine to the area hospitals, HKPRDHU is continuing to provide vaccine to the long-term care homes and high-risk retirement homes to ensure those staff are vaccinated. Once additional vaccine arrives in the community, HKPRDHU will continue to work with all of its health care partners to provide vaccine to more residents of the region as identified by the provincial priority list.
“As vaccine supply continues to flow into Northumberland and distribution expands with the support of community partners, we hope that everyone who is eligible will roll up their sleeves to help prevent further spread of COVID-19 and build immunity,” Dr. Gemmill said.
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