Spirits were high as Coldwater residents rolled up their sleeves today at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Coldwater Community Centre.
About 500 first doses of the Moderna shot were doled out to anyone aged 18 and up with a pre-booked appointment, starting at 9:30 a.m. when the centre’s doors opened.
Doctors and nurses from Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital (OSMH), the Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit and Couchiching Ontario Health Team staff administered shots and screened patients.
Community volunteers from the legion, Coldwater Lions Club and Coldwater Pharmacy staff greeted and guided patients in and around the building.
A drive-through vaccine station allowed those with mobility issues easy access to their vaccine. A mobile team made visits to a nursing home and seniors apartments in the community to help with the rollout.
“All these different techniques make sure we ensure equitable access to all community members, and that’s really important,” says OSMH President and CEO, Carmine Stumpo. “We want to make sure everyone has a chance to get vaccinated.”
Pharmacy and Primary Care collaboration to make sure no resident gets left behind. Amazing mobile outreach service at the Coldwater Clinic @OSMH_News @CouchichingOHT pic.twitter.com/3J5YsELxXY
— Carmine Stumpo (@stumpo_carmine) May 29, 2021
The pop-up clinic is an important step in protecting the community, says an owner of the Coldwater Pharmacy, Mike Colebrook.
Early on in the vaccine rollout, Colebrook and members of Severn Township Council identified the need for a pop-up clinic in Coldwater. Some residents lacked transportation to clinics out of town, while accessing and navigating the province’s online and phone booking systems proved challenging for others.
Colebrook and Severn Councillor Judith Cox began working to bring a clinic to Coldwater in February, and presented the idea to the Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit.
Since the pop-up’s approval, the community has come together to make the clinic happen. Flyers were posted in local businesses, while local church groups, the Lions Club and the Legion helped spread the word.
Those aged 60 and up with Coldwater area codes were given first access to booking through the Coldwater Pharmacy. Appointments then opened up to all L0K area codes, before the health unit opened booking through the SMDHU site on Thursday to fill the last few spots.
“It’s a community effort, that’s the best part of it. We’ve sort of all been secluded and today we get to be outside and watch our friends and neighbours get their shots,” says Coun. Cox, who volunteered at the clinic.
Vaccine recipient Philip Welsh was glad to be getting his vaccine. “I feel good, looking forward to it. I want to get back to normal,” he said.
Welsh, like many other Coldwater residents, says bringing doses to the community is extremely helpful - especially as tourists start to arrive in the area.
“It’s a cottage area, so we’re going to have people descending from not just all over Ontario, but sometimes all over the world in the next few months. So we wanted to get the first dose into as many people as possible as fast as possible,” says Colebrook.
Colebrooke says he was “amazed” at the amount of people willing to help the clinic run smoothly.
“This is about hope, and about taking one step closer to ending this pandemic. Every shot counts,” says Stumpo.
