Drawing on public-private partnerships forged earlier in the pandemic, Hartford HealthCare (HHC) unveiled a new COVID-19 vaccination center today at the Connecticut Convention Center.
The convention center facility is designed to inoculate hundreds of people a day against the coronavirus and is an early example of the network of accessible vaccination centers expected to be set up in the coming months, said HHC CEO Jeff Flaks. The convention center’s central location, access to major highways and large size allow it to be scaled up for a mass vaccination effort in the city, he added.
“It’s really a perfect location for us,” Flaks said. “There’s a value for us to be able to move our team and leverage the central infrastructure of the facility.”
For now, only providers and frontline healthcare workers will get vaccinated at the convention center as part of Phase 1 of the statewide vaccination campaign. Both Hartford HealthCare employees and community healthcare workers are eligible, but must be invited to get the vaccine at the site.
Almost 7,000 people had been vaccinated by HHC providers at locations across the state as of Sunday night, with another 6,000 scheduled for shots this week. The health system has set up clinics at each of its hospitals and at two medical group offices in Shelton and Wethersfield.
Trinity Health Of New England also ramped up vaccinations at its facilities last week, receiving a 5,500-dose shipment of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 24.
Flaks said that HHC has learned from its COVID-19 testing operations how to make vaccine administration quick and efficient utilizing a pre-registration process and scheduling through the electronic medical records system. “There are ways to accelerate the ability to get people through the process safely and quickly and have the proper follow-up in place,” he said.
The invitation system allows for verification of patients to ensure that only eligible candidates get the vaccine. HHC has had no reports of people “cutting the line” to get vaccinated as has been reported in New York City and elsewhere, Flaks said.
When fully operational, the convention center clinic can vaccinate 2,200 people a week and can be easily scaled up, said Dr. James Cardon, head of HHC’s vaccination program. The site is a model for large-scale vaccination efforts going forward, Cardon added. “This is to really get us started, get the process all squared away,” he said.
The opening of the vaccination clinic at the convention center ‒ in addition to the COVID-19 testing center at the site and the 600-bed field hospital standing by in case of a further surge of cases ‒ is a tribute to Connecticut’s response, Flaks said. Businesses worked with state and local agencies to make it happen.
“There’s been tremendous cooperation and coordination and everyone has been focused on doing the right thing,” Flaks said. “It’s a testament to the agility and the sense of community… It’s an amazing example of the resourcefulness of our state.”