Innovative Volunteer-Focused Staffing
All along, the involvement of the residents of Council Bluffs and Pottawattamie County proved essential to the ultimate success of the mass-vaccination clinics. Indeed, these events were highly unusual in that they primarily were staffed, delivered, and supported by local healthcare, volunteer, and business organizations, along with employees from many other County departments. This meant that, to a great extent, the clinics were made possible by the same constituencies whom they ultimately benefited.
More specifically: the Pottawattamie County Public Health Department (PCPH) has a limited budget and resources, and, during the entire vaccination-clinic period, its full-time employee count never exceeded 15. However, the PHLT customarily planned to have 110 people working each clinic—so, some 85+ percent of those staffing a particular event typically were not PCPH employees. Essentially, then, these additional workers served as “force multipliers” who enabled the PHLT to stage these clinics on such a large scale.
The Local Hospitals Help Secure Volunteer Nurses
For starters, the PHLT’s excellent working relationships with Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital (MJEH) and CHI Mercy Hospital (CHI Mercy) were instrumental in helping secure local volunteer nurses to help staff the clinics and administer vaccinations alongside the Pottawattamie County Public Health nurses and other vaccinators who worked these events.
Initially, MJEH sent nurses to assist; subsequently, the local Re-Runs group of (retired) nurses contacted the PHLT to become involved; and then, CHI Mercy sent its own nurses to work the clinics. All of these medical professionals participated at no cost to the County (and, importantly, moving forward: this collaborative experience served to strengthen the PCPH’s working relationships with both hospitals).
Other Volunteers Step Up
Then, as the series of vaccination clinics progressed, local community organizations began contacting the PHLT about providing volunteers. Worth noting: this often occurred after some of these groups’ members had been vaccinated, having seen firsthand how well the clinics were organized and run.
These supporting groups included the following (most listed with tasks discharged): the Council Bluffs Noon Rotary (which assisted non-ambulatory attendees needing wheelchairs); the Pottawattamie County Veteran Affairs, and the League of Human Dignity (both provided wheelchairs); students and staff from Iowa Western Community College (football team members pushed wheelchairs at several clinics); students from Omaha’s Creighton University (who served as runners); Connections Area Agency on Aging (which provided the phone bank for non-web-based registrations, and focused on signing up attendees aged 65+); area veterans’ service organizations; and staff/management from the local packing plants.
Also, PCPH staff members recruited friends and family to participate. And, the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce arranged for local businesses to sponsor donations of snacks and water for the clinics.
These volunteers were so enthusiastic about assisting that initially it proved challenging for the PHLT to manage and guide them. So, “lead” positions were then identified for the primary volunteer functions, including entry screening; registration; triage; admin; and traffic control. The team also identified volunteers who became so knowledgeable in their roles that they could serve as trainers for others. And, finally, the PHLT and key staff members were themselves cross-trained to serve in various support-related functions, so that they could fill in during unexpected worker absence/shortage.
Local Officials Also Play a High-Profile Role
From the beginning, local officials such as the members of the County Board of Health were integrally involved in planning, supporting, and executing these events. Additionally, the volunteer ranks at the clinics regularly included the Mayor; members of the County Board of Supervisors; and representatives from the City Council.
Maria Sieck, Public Health Administrator and PHLT member, said that their presence “lent credibility to these events, and it made Public Health a point of emphasis. Their involvement, and the other partnerships that we had at the clinics, really gave us an identity as a collaborative organization.” And, Matt Wyant, Planning and Development Director and PHLT lead, said that these events “served as probably the greatest team-building exercise that we’ve ever had at the County. It seemed like everyone had people at the MAC helping out in some capacity.”
Volunteer Training Was a Priority
Given the number of area residents who offered to help with these events, the PHLT felt it essential that these the clinic volunteers consistently be as well-trained as possible.
So, all basic, relevant instruction was loaded into the Pottawattamie County Risk-Management site, where these individuals could then review/complete the requisite trainings before reporting for their initial shifts. Additionally, further instruction was provided in disciplines such as blood-borne-pathogen safety; observing/upholding HIPAA guidelines; and entering data into the state vaccination registry.
And, finally, on the day immediately prior to their first clinic, new volunteers would be brought to the MAC for an on-site walk-through (which they subsequently could redo if needed). This familiarization activity would then be repeated the next morning, immediately prior to the doors opening.
In Retrospect: County, Community Support Proved Indispensable
All told, then, PCPH recorded more than 400 individual volunteers who were somehow involved with one or more of the clinics, with certain highly committed area residents taking part in most—or even all—of these events over some six months. In addition, more than 20 area businesses provided supplies or otherwise supported the clinics—some on a repeated basis—and the local Girl Scouts donated seven pallets of cookies.
Jacob Head, Safety Coordinator and PHLT member, offered his assessment not just of the clinics, but of the entire local COVID-19 response: “I think that this was one of the greatest ‘expressions of community’ that I’ve ever seen. We couldn’t have made it through this unless everyone somehow got involved.”