HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – The Montana Veterans Affairs Health Care System held a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Havre on Thursday, with 246 Veterans receiving the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
MTVAHCS Executive Director Dr. Judy Hayman says the extensive planning that went into this clinic allowed for nearly flawless execution.
“We had staff able to look at the mall location ahead of time, so we knew exactly how we wanted to set up for good flow. We had two people screening Veterans for the COVID questions prior to entering, we had our administrative staff there to register them and provide them with instructions…We had a pharmacist and a nurse providing additional screening, and we used a numbering system and had plenty of chairs available for Veterans to wait while they got their vaccine, and then a separate observation area where we observed everyone for 15-30 minutes to ensure that they didn’t experience a reaction to their vaccination. The space was fabulous, the team was fabulous, it was just a really exciting day.”
This clinic was part of a pilot program, with the vaccines having been flown into Havre in specialized coolers.
“We’re looking to replicate the pilot program in other sites across the state and are finalizing where those locations and dates will be dependent upon our allocation of vaccines. I know that lots of other VA Health Care facilities across the country that have highly rural and especially mountainous states, are looking to replicate our process. So we have a very robust template and action planning document that we will be sharing and I think that you’ll hear other states adopting this soon.”
A second VA vaccination clinic in Havre is scheduled for February 18th, where the 246 Veterans will be given the second dose of the vaccine. If enough doses are allocated, they may also provide Veterans who missed out on last week’s clinic with the first dose.
Any Veteran that does not receive their Healthcare through the VA is encouraged to call 447-7350 to see if they are eligible.
