FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2021                   

Media Contact:          Jennifer Moon, Public Information Officer
Phone:                        (360) 820-6054
E-mail address:         [email protected] 

Community Vaccination Center to Close on June 17

BELLINGHAM, WA -- After administering about 8,500 doses of COVID-19 vaccines over 13 weeks, the Community Vaccination Center (CVC) will suspend operations on June 17.

“As with other mass vaccination sites around the state and the country, we’re seeing a drop in demand at the CVC,” said Erika Lautenbach, director of the Whatcom County Health Department. “Nursing students have played a large role in staffing the CVC, and the current student group will be moving on as the academic quarter ends. With these changes, it makes sense to transition our vaccination efforts to mobile and pop-up clinics.”

“The CVC has been able to vaccinate nearly 6,400 people since its first clinic in March,” said Shanon Hardie, Unity Care NW’s chief operations officer and co-chair of the Whatcom County Large-Scale Vaccine Planning Steering Committee. “We’re grateful for the hard work of all the staff and volunteers who have operated 21 clinics, totaling 105 hours. They’ve made an incredible difference in bringing down our COVID case rates and protecting our community.”

There are eight more clinics scheduled. The final two clinics at the CVC will be mid-day clinics focused on reaching students and employees of the various Whatcom County colleges, although they will be open to the general public. The clinics will be held on June 16 and June 17, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. These clinics will offer the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Appointments can be made at prepmod.doh.wa.gov or by phone at (360) 778-6075.

“Bellingham Technical College has been proud to host the CVC,” said Walter Hudsick, interim president of BTC. “It has been inspiring to be a partner in this critical step towards our community’s economic recovery. Our nursing students have gained valuable hands-on experience as well, which has been a great fit for our mission of preparing students for technical careers.”

The equipment for the CVC will remain in place through the summer, allowing it to be reactivated quickly if there is a need for large-scale vaccination.

Located at Bellingham Technical College, the CVC is a collaborative effort between BTC, Unity Care NW, Whatcom County Health Department, Whatcom Unified Command, Family Care Network, PeaceHealth, Sea Mar Community Health Centers, Hoagland Pharmacy, and Whatcom Community College (WCC). For more information about the Community Vaccination Center, visit VaccinateWhatcom.org. 

###