By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
Barbara Kimmel moved from Vermont to Yachats in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
Since July, Kimmel and her husband, Peter, have been settling into their new home, keeping to themselves and caring for their five rescue dogs.
“I’d really like to get to know Yachats,” Kimmel said.
She took the first big step in that direction Saturday when she was one of 600 people to get their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during the first weekend clinic by Samaritan Health Services.
Samaritan’s new effort comes as vaccine supplies slowly increase and Lincoln County health providers expand or start new clinics.
Samaritan’s clinics are taking place at the Center for Health Education on its hospital campus in Newport. It plans – should the supply of vaccines hold steady — to hold a first-dose clinic every Friday and Saturday morning, then add second-dose clinics in the afternoons beginning April 9.
Samaritan is using vaccines from a state allocation to its parent organization in Corvallis, augmented by vaccines from Lincoln County Public Health. From people giving directions in the parking lot to nurses poking arms with needles, it is staffed entirely Samaritan employees.
“We have such a great staff willing to give up their Saturdays to do this,” said Jane Russell, chief operating officer of Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital as she loaded needles in a kitchen adjacent to the center’s main meeting room. “Everyone realizes it’s a public health emergency.”
Notices for Samaritan’s clinics are going out to eligible people on the county’s waiting list. Once alerted, people are directed to sign up using Samaritan’s MyChart system – which they can do as a Samaritan subscriber or as a guest.
Samaritan’s clinic operations mirror the county’s big operation at the county fairgrounds – 30 people at a time sitting at 15 tables getting instructions, their shot, and then waiting 15 minutes in an adjacent room in case there is a reaction.
If there were any glitches the first weekend, it was that some people showed up late for their appointed time, then having to wait – if there was room – for the next round 30 or 60 minutes later.
“Come a little early,” Russell urged.
Vaccines and clinics increasing
The start of the Samaritan clinics are just one more element health care providers are ramping up as vaccine supplies gradually increase.
According to the Oregon Health Authority, health care providers in Lincoln County – including pharmacies – are getting 1,900 first doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines this week. That’s scheduled to increase to 2,400 first doses next week. There are no new shipments of the Johnson & Johnson scheduled.
This week, Lincoln County Public Health has clinics six first-dose clinics scheduled at the Taft station of North Lincoln Fire & Rescue and at the county fairgrounds in Newport. The fairgrounds clinic is vaccinating 500-550 people each day.
“We really do have quite a bit more (vaccines) in the county system and we expect that to continue,” said Susan Trachsel, spokeswoman for Lincoln County Public Health. “We have another 1,000 more we are scheduling … it’s looking a lot better.”
In addition, the Confederated Tribe of the Siletz Indians is opening vaccines at its health clinic in Siletz to non-tribal members, which is expected to draw another 500 people a week from the county’s waitlist. To start, it is calling people in Siletz, Logsden, Toledo, Eddyville and Harland areas. Native American tribes get their vaccine supplies directly from the federal government, outside of the state’s distribution system.
Lincoln County Public Health said Monday that 12,185 residents had received their first (5,763) or second (6,422) doses. That means 43.5 percent of the 28,000 people it expects to vaccinate are in the process of completing their doses. The county’s total population is 48,000.
Other local vaccine developments include:
- A county-organized vaccination clinic is scheduled from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 25, at the Waldport Community Center, 265 N.W. Hemlock St. A second clinic on Saturdays is planned — if vaccine supplies increase. The clinic will be staffed by PacWest Ambulance. Appointment notices will be sent out next week.
- Pharmacies in Lincoln County – Safeway, BiMart, and HiSchool in Waldport — are getting 100 doses a week and are making appointments through their company websites.
- The health department is beginning to plan specialized clinics are large workplaces such as the seafood processing plants in Newport when those workers become eligible in late March. It is also working with North Lincoln Fire & Rescue to use its station in Otis for a clinic there on April 3.
- The health department is working with three home health agencies to provide them with vaccines to take to their homebound clients.
- Starting Wednesday, the county is adding more phone lines to its call center, which has struggled to handle the number of calls.
Navigating the system and finding your shot
Lincoln County Public Health knows the sign-up process can be difficult. The county has set up a call center — 541-265-0621 — with five employees to assist people by phone in English and Spanish. There are limited phone lines in the county system, so some callers are experiencing delays or dropped calls. The county is spending $11,000 to add more phone lines to its call center, but the new lines won’t start going in until March 17.
More information can be found on the county’s website or by emailing the county at LincolnCoCallCenter@co.lincoln.or.us
Calls can also be made to the statewide help line at 2-1-1 or to the Samaritan vaccination scheduling assistance line at 855-441-2311.
Public Health officials are also asking that friends, family and neighbors of eligible people help them sign up for the vaccine. Public Health has an outreach video for partners or the public who want to help people sign up for the vaccine. The video is an hour, but has links to topics that may be of interest.
The county-organized clinics are just one opportunity to get a vaccine. Some other options are:
Statewide Vaccine Information to view eligibility requirements and see clinics available around the state;
Linn & Benton County vaccination events through Samaritan Health Services (open to Lincoln County residents);
Safeway Pharmacy – Open to eligible groups at its stores in Newport and Lincoln City;
BiMart Pharmacy – Offering vaccines at its Lincoln City store;
HiSchool Pharmacy, Appointments available in Waldport when it has supples; soon.
Costco Pharmacy – Located in Albany, Aloha, Bend, Central Point, Clackamas, Eugene, Hillsboro, Portland, Roseburg, Salem, Tigard, Warrenton, and Wilsonville;
Salem Health Clinics (State Fairgrounds) – Open to anyone with a MyChart account. If no appointments slots appear on MyChart, that means all available appointments have been filled. Check back on MyChart regularly to see if additional appointments have opened.
