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Mass vaccination exercise planned by Bergenfield and Englewood Health Departments

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image of vaccineThe Bergenfield and Englewood Health Departments are currently planning a joint-command, immunization exercise at the McCloud Elementary School in Englewood on Saturday, June 4th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. A rain date has been scheduled for June 5th. The objective is to demonstrate the ability to set up and safely administer vaccine to the general population, during an emergency situation, using a drive-through clinic model as the point of distribution (POD).  This effort has been made possible through a mini grant awarded by the New Jersey Health Officers Association. Although a key objective is to determine how much time it would take to vaccinate the citizens of these two communities, it is significant to note:
1.) Bergenfield, with Englewood as its partner, was the only local health department to apply for and receive this grant award (all other recipients were County health departments);
2.) The grant award was, in part, due to its innovative proposal – the use of non-traditional (i.e. non-medical) personnel to administer the vaccines.

The exercise is being planned by key personnel of both Health Departments, representatives of each municipality’s Board of Health and Volunteer Ambulance Corps., Englewood’s Office of Emergency Management and Emergency Medical Services. Students of Dwight Morrow/Academies at Englewood and Janis E. Dismis Middle School, who are members of Englewood’s Youth Advisory Board, were recruited to simulate the population to be vaccinated in an emergency situation.

During the planning phases, Office of Emergency Management guidelines are being implemented, with the Incident Command System (ICS) at the core. According to the Grant Award Notice,  “...participation in this initiative, along with that of the other grant recipients, will result in the development of a standard operating procedures/best practices manual, which will be used to promote best practices and continuity among all health departments in New Jersey.”

Both communities should be proud of the contribution, by all the participants, to this innovative project, with strong potential for replication statewide.