On June 4, the COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Boothbay Region YMCA officially closed its doors, ending an important chapter in the fight against COVID-19 in Lincoln County. While we will continue to offer vaccines in different locations, it is important to take a moment to reflect on the enormous success of this endeavor.

Lincoln County has been at or near the lead when it comes to the percentage of its population that has been vaccinated since the beginning, and the clinic has been a primary driver behind this success. The talented team at the clinic successfully delivered more than 23,500 doses of vaccine to our patients, neighbors, friends and family.

Our success was made possible by our team that created a terrific plan and executed it flawlessly. The plan’s details were tweaked as time moved on, but the core remained the same. I cannot tell you how many times I have had people tell me how well-run the clinic was.

The plan relied on a committed team of clinicians being pulled away from their normal responsibilities or even coming out of retirement to administer the vaccine. The support of others – including pharmacists who drew the vaccine, parking lot attendants, greeters, hosts, those helping to keep the paperwork moving and our check-in and check-out teams – was also critical. And let’s not forget our community volunteers, whose commitment allowed many of our team members to return to their regular duties over the last two months.

There are several community organizations we’d like to thank, and we’ve done so in an advertisement in this edition. I would like to extend a special thanks to the Boothbay Region YMCA team. We could not have accomplished this feat without the right space – and the Fieldhouse was perfect. The Y team also answered many phone calls, assisted with parking and lent a helping hand when it was needed.

During the rough spots where there was not enough vaccine and the appointment process was far from perfect, we were lifted by those who wrote letters of thanks and support. The community has been almost universally glowing when sharing its appreciation, and many of the notes and comments were punctuated with emotion.

Our team learned a great deal over the last four months which will better prepare us if a larger scale community vaccine clinic becomes necessary in the future. One thing that was reinforced throughout is ‘many hands make light work,’ and we are truly grateful to all of you who made the time to help out.

In closing, there’s still some work to do on the vaccination front. If you have not received the COVID-19 vaccine yet, I encourage you to do so. Please contact your primary care provider to share your interest in getting vaccinated. You can also keep up to date on vaccine clinics taking place in the community by following LincolnHealth on Facebook.

You can count on LincolnHealth to continue the fight against COVID-19, and I know that we can count on your support as well.