SAS Working On Vaccine Issues For Next Clinic

Saline Area Schools ran into some problems, November 16, in its first vaccine clinic to inoculate children against the Coronavirus. But the district is working with its vendor and the state to improve the situation for the next clinic, on December 7.

Saline did not conduct the vaccination drive itself. Instead, it used a third party vendor LTS to run the clinic, a common practice throughout the state.

“There was not enough vaccine for the amount of people coming to this clinic in November. In addition, the way in which it was organized led to long wait times for those who were able to get vaccinated,” Superintendent Steven Laatsch said in an email. “We have been in touch with LTS to make sure the next vaccination clinic is a smoother, more efficient process for everyone involved.

The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, which is funding the third party vaccination scheme, is in communication with LTS as well.

“The vendor planned for 30 pediatric doses which was based on information gathered during a coordination call with the event partner. During the clinic, 100 pediatric doses were provided. There was a significant rush of patients at the open of the clinic which created a queue of patients that needed to be worked through,” MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Stutfin said. “As the volume of children seeking vaccination increased, the distribution team brought additional vaccine supplies and staff to the event. MDHHS and our partners are working to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to all eligible Michiganders as quickly and efficiently as possible. To date, nearly 106,000 Michigan children ages 5-11 [about] 12.8%, have received their first dose of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.”

LTS did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The district is planning on working on its vendor and the WCHD to improve for the next clinic, but details are scarce so far on exactly how. SAS’s student vaccinations will be held at Heritage School.

Image Credit; Scot Graden, former superintendent of Saline Area Schools.