Cooper County Public Health Center Administrator Melanie Hutton has issued a “big Shout Out” to the Cooper County Health Department Staff and Board of Trustees, Cooper County Emergency Management Agency, City of Boonville, Boonville Police Department, Boonville Parks and Recreation, MU Nursing Students, Riverside Christian Church, Cooper County Commissioners, the Cooper County Road Crew, Lance’s Landscaping and private citizen volunteers.

In a news release, Hutton says in the past six weeks her staff, in conjunction with the listed agencies and individuals, has completed a total of 70 clinic hours. During these 70 clinic hours, 3,017 COVID-19 immunizations have been completed. One thousand, five hundred tier-eligible individuals have completed the two-dose COVID vaccine series. That is an average of two minutes per immunization.

For these clinics, Hutton says the health center has used paper consent forms and manual entry into the SHOW-ME VAX data system. All its drive-thru and walk-in clinics have included time for pre- and post-questions, along with post-vaccination observation. She says the clients have experienced minimal wait times.

Hutton says, “I cannot express my appreciation and gratitude to my staff and our community partners and citizen volunteers. I am so proud of the great job they have done.”

Hutton continues: “On Monday and Tuesday, March 1 and March 2, we will have our first 2,000 dose COVID-19 Immunization Clinic. My staff, community partners and citizen volunteers will be supported by the Missouri National Guard. Our location was generously donated by the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Boonville. Appointments were made through the State of Missouri Navigator Vaccine Registration System.”

Here is some basic information regarding the upcoming clinic:
1. An appointment is required through the Navigator (MoStopsCovid.com) system.
2. The clinic site will be the Ballroom at the Isle of Capri Casino.
3. The Ballroom is located on the Hotel side of the facility.
4. The hallways and Ballroom are all nonsmoking areas.
5. COVID parking at the Isle will be in the back parking lot. There will be large digital signs directing you to the second entrance of the Isle of Capri facility, as well as Boonville Police officers providing traffic control. Missouri National Guard staff will be there to direct you to a parking spot and pick you up via golf cart (including wheelchair accessible carts) and deliver you to the hotel entrance.
6. At the entrance, the Missouri National Guard staff will direct you to the Ballroom. Wheelchairs are available onsite also.
7. Missouri National Guard staff will register the client arrival/immunization in the Navigator system. If the system is down, paper forms will be available.
8. The Cooper County Ambulance District will have an ambulance on site.
9. Cooper County Health Department staff will deliver clients to seating where a nurse will deliver the immunization, and the client will wait during their post-observation period of 15 minutes. Post-observation will be completed by paramedics, nurses and EMTs. Seating is six feet apart. Clients will then depart with COVID vaccination information and return to the parking lot via Missouri National Guard staff assistance.
10. There will be Spanish and African Language translators present.
11. Appointments for second-dose vaccination will be completed automatically via the Navigator System.

Hutton says, “We appreciate the State of Missouri, the Missouri National Guard, The Department of Health and Senior Services, the State Emergency Management Agency, Missouri Department of Transportation, Cooper County Emergency Management Agency, Boonville Police Department, Cooper County Ambulance, MU Sinclair School of Nursing Students, Central Methodist University Nursing Students, Boonslick Technical Education Center Healthcare career students, North Central College Nursing Students, citizen volunteers and the Isle of Capri Casino for helping bring together a 2,000 dose COVID vaccination clinic in a large, warm, and dry facility.”