The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District volunteers and staff have provided key support to vaccination clinics in the area.

Volunteers and staff supported Deschutes County Public Health on Friday, February 26, in scheduling COVID vaccinations for 100 Sisters Country residents age 65 and over.

“All appointments were taken within 40 minutes of the phone line opening,” said Julie Spor, public information officer and executive assistant for the Fire District.

Initially, the District had two volunteers set to take appointments for the County.

“We realized very quickly we would need all hands on deck, and added three staff members to assist with taking calls,” Spor said.

A Sisters community vaccination clinic is scheduled to be held — by appointment only — on Wednesday, March 3, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Community Hall at 301 S. Elm St. in Sisters.

Deschutes County Public Health encourages residents to sign up to be notified about vaccine eligibility and appointments by visiting the vaccine interest form at vaccine.deschutes.org. Most vaccine appointments in Deschutes County are provided at Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center. Small community clinics, such as the one to be held Wednesday, are set up to accommodate those residents who may have transportation issues, or difficulty in attending the clinics at the fairgrounds in Redmond.

“We’ve been working with the County for several weeks on the logistics for the Sisters clinic,” said Sarah Bialous, office assistant at the Fire District.

The Fire District was approached by Deschutes County several weeks ago regarding their desire to hold a vaccine clinic for the Sisters Community.

“We were initially set to take appointments for an earlier clinic, but due to the snowstorms around the country, the vaccines didn’t arrive to the County as planned and they had to adjust their dates,” said Bialous.

In preparation for scheduling the appointments, the Fire District added five additional phone lines to the three currently used. Even with eight available phone lines, and a cadre of volunteers staffing the lines, many people were unable to schedule an appointment.

“We had about 65 voicemails on the COVID line by the time the appointment slots had been filled,” said Bialous.

“The overwhelming response when someone made it through and got scheduled was sincere gratitude and excitement to get their vaccine,” said Spor.

“It is very important for the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District to be a partner in providing healthcare to Sisters Country residents,” said Roger Johnson, fire chief for the District. “We are happy to assist Deschutes County Public Health in their efforts to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to our most vulnerable citizens.”

More information will be shared about future vaccine clinics when it is available.

For information on the safety, and other frequently asked questions about the vaccine, visit covidvaccine.oregon.gov.