CHERRYFIELD, ME — Power in partnership. A huge thank-you to our community volunteers, the Maine Seacoast Mission, Maine Mobile Health Program, and Maine DHHS for making this possible. At last week’s Community Vaccine Clinic 58 people received vaccines, access to interpreters, and some tasty treats.
If you have any questions or are interested in attending a vaccine clinic in the future, please contact Juan Jose at: 207-210-1997.
federalnewsnetwork.com BUSINESS NEWS Boat, snowmobile, camel: Vaccine reaches world’s far corners By DAVID SHARP – April 7, 2021 1:06 am
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — After enduring 40-knot winds and freezing sea spray, jostled health care providers arrived wet and cold on two Maine islands in the North Atlantic late last month to conduct coronavirus vaccinations.
As they came ashore on Little Cranberry Island, population 65, residents danced with excitement.
“It’s a historic day for the island,” said Kaitlyn Miller, who joined a friend in belting out “I’m not giving away my shot!” from the Broadway show Hamilton when the crew arrived.
freepressonline.com from Offshore: Does Pete Buttigieg Have a Workday Like This? by Eva Murray – Tuesday, April 6, 2021 8:53 AM
Last Thursday was also the date scheduled for most winter islanders to get their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The crew from the Maine Seacoast Mission and the public health nurses were scheduled to fly out to administer the vaccine, but with a rainstorm expected on the planned day, that was a no-go. They scrambled to contact the whole list of people and move the event ahead a day. This change required they get to and from Monhegan by boat Wednesday morning, up the peninsula and over to the airport in Owls Head, and to then make the trip to Matinicus by air to vaccinate roughly 30 grateful people in the afternoon — and to get off the island before being stuck here by weather.
Eva Murray lives, works and writes on Matinicus Island. Full story
The Mission medical team traveling between islands aboard a lobster boat. Maine Public Broadcaster Patty Wight is traveling with them.
NORTHEAST HARBOR, ME — After weeks of planning and operating Covid-19 vaccination clinics for residents of seven Maine islands, the Mission medical team remains hard at it. Mission Island Outreach Director Douglas Cornman notifies island populations of upcoming vaccination clinics, registering island residents who want vaccinations. Bad weather or a changed vaccine delivery schedule means Douglas must reschedule everyone. He also provides the Maine Immunization Information System (ImmPact) with current, accurate island clinic immunization records.
Mission Island Health Services Director Sharon Daley, RN is the team’s lead nurse. She stays in almost constant touch with the Maine Center for Disease Control, local hospital pharmacies, island and mainland medical workers. Sharon ensures the safety of vaccines, that there are safe places on islands to have clinics, that all the necessary clinic supplies are in place, and that there are enough medical workers available.
Everyone involved looks for the fair weather that allows the medical team to travel to the island by water or air.
The experienced Mission team always has a backup plan. The preferred means of clinic travel is aboard the Mission’s 74-foot boat Sunbeam. It has state of the art navigation gear and a telemedicine room with a medical grade refrigerator tailor made for preserving vaccinations.
Those days the wind is steady and forceful enough to prevent the Sunbeam from docking, the medical team travels by small boats able to avoid the wind, or by small airplanes able to ride the wind.
The team makeup varies clinic to clinic, but its members include Mission staff and non-Mission medical pros. The Mission team members are Director Sharon Daley, RN ; Director Douglas Cornman; President John Zavodny, and the Sunbeam crew: Captain Mike Johnson, Engineer Storey King, and Steward Jillian.
Nurses Maureen Giffin, Peggy Akers, island EMTs, and other helpers complete the medical team lineup.
What really changes — island clinic to island clinic — are the residents receiving vaccinations. News from people at the island clinics all report island residents’ joy, relief, and happiness. That’s true of news account from professional reporters traveling with the medial team, or email and social media accounts from medical team members.
Earlier in this effort, Mission President Zavodny told a reporter the clinics will continue until all of the island residents we serve who want to be vaccinated are vaccinated. “Now that we’re closing in on the end of the formal clinics,” said President Zavodny, “Sharon will be working to secure smaller caches of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. We won’t keep doing clinics per se.”
It’s Thank you Thursday. Today’s shout out of Mission love goes to Good Shepherd Food Bank.
Good Shepherd helps the Mission provide healthy, nutritious food to thousands of people in Washington County. They help us feed people who can’t quite make ends meet. People who make difficult decisions each week or month about what bill to pay: rent, electricity, heat, gas, car repairs, a trip to the doctor, medicine or food.
The caring, capable, and knowledgeable staff at Good Shepherd have provided the support the Mission needs to stock our food pantry, and expand our reach to schools, families, and the elderly.
“Often, when I speak with a Good Shepherd staff member,” said Mission Service Program Director Wendy Harrington, “they thank me for everything my organization and staff do to help feed people in our community.”
The Mission would like to say “thank you” back. Thank you for taking such good care of us and the people we serve.
