WILLIAMSBURG – As vaccinations for COVID-19 are being administered throughout the state, those involved with public health in the Hilltowns are working on plans to provide access for residents.
While first responders and others in Phase 1 of the state’s vaccination rollout plan are being vaccinated elsewhere in the region, Donna Gibson, chairwoman of the Williamsburg Board of Health, said the town is preparing to set up drive-thru clinics to serve residents of Williamsburg and Goshen.
Michael Kurland, chairman of the Goshen Board of Health, said the current plan is to have a staging area at the parking lot of the Anne T. Dunphy School, with drive-thru vaccinations taking place near the garage of the Williamsburg Highway Department.
“The purpose of having the two stages is to reduce traffic,” he said.
However, Kurland said Goshen and Williamsburg have not yet signed up for vaccine distribution, and the current thought is to partner with other towns. He said that the drive-thru clinic is most likely to happen in Phase 3 of the rollout, which is when the general public can be vaccinated.
Both Kurland and Gibson also said there may be a partnership between their communities and pharmacy chains around vaccinations, should the chains receive vaccines before the towns.
Both Williamsburg and Goshen are part of the Foothills Health District, alongside Whately and Westhampton. Gibson said the district meets regularly and that they share ideas around combating the pandemic.
Thomas Martin, who serves as the chairman of the Westhampton Board of Health, said he expects the town’s vaccination efforts to be a part of a regional effort, although that might include a site in town. He also said the board is waiting to see how things will develop.
“We’re directing our residents to the vaccination web page on Mass.gov,” Martin said.
Eliza Lake, the executive director for Hilltown Community Health Centers, which has its main clinics in Huntington, Worthington and Amherst, said they received their first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in December, and that they’ve been vaccinating their staff according to state guidelines. Lake also said they’ve vaccinated some health workers from other organizations as well, also in keeping with these guidelines.
For Phase 2, Lake said they will be developing clinics at all three of their main sites.
“Certainly we’ll be focused on our own patients as they become eligible through the phasing system,” Lake said.
Both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines require two doses. Lake said a second dose will be scheduled at the time a first is administered, and that Hilltown Community Health Centers employs a number of community health workers who help people to overcome barriers to care, and they’ll ensure patients receive both of their doses.
Lake also said that Hilltown Community Health Centers is using the Moderna vaccine because it doesn’t have the refrigeration capacity for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Williamsburg and Goshen are both part of the Mohawk Area Public Health Coalition, which is a program of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG).
Tracy Rogers, the emergency preparedness program manager at FRCOG, said that the Mohawk Area Public Health Coalition plans to have three clinics in senior centers for those 75 and up in Phase 2. She said these will all be in Franklin County, with Deerfield, Shelburne Falls and a location somewhere in the eastern part of Franklin County being considered. She also said the Mohawk Area Public Health Coalition is looking at setting up three to four vaccination sites for Phase 3 as well.
Both Lake and Gibson spoke to the importance of continuing safety precautions, as the level of protection the vaccine offers to others is still not clear.
“Being vaccinated does not mean that you can stop wearing a mask or social distancing,” Lake said.
Gibson said she had at first been wary about getting the vaccine because of the speed at which it was developed. However, she said she will be getting vaccinated, as the more she learned about the process the more comfortable she became.
“We’ve had amazing advances in medicine,” she said.
Lake said that anyone who has questions about getting the vaccine should consult their primary care physician.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.