Worcester, Mass. – The Saint Vincent Hospital Vaccine Collaborative at Worcester State University, a collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Commonwealth Medicine and the City of Worcester, will close on June 10, 2021, after administering over 83,000 COVID-19 vaccines in almost four months.

Vaccinations will continue through next week, with clinics on Monday, June 7, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and on Thursday, June 10, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. First and second doses of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine are available on the remaining days, but those getting a first dose will need to go to a different location for their second dose in early July.

“This collaboration to deliver so many vaccines in such a short period of time in Central Massachusetts has been critical to rapidly reducing the spread of COVID-19 and helping to enable the current stage of reopening,” said Carolyn Jackson, chief executive officer of Saint Vincent Hospital. “We are delighted to have worked with such terrific partners to bring this important service to our community.”

Saint Vincent Hospital provided daily clinical and operational leadership at the vaccination site. Volunteers contributed more than 25,000 hours to make the Saint Vincent Hospital Vaccine Collaborative at Worcester State University a reality.

“We were happy to have been a community partner in this public health emergency with UMass Medical School and Saint Vincent Hospital,” said Barry M. Maloney, president of Worcester State University. “Our competition gym space, which would otherwise be utilized by students if it were not for the pandemic, became a learning opportunity for our student nurses, faculty, and numerous Worcester State volunteers that stepped up to serve the needs of Worcester’s seniors, diverse populations and others in the surrounding communities.”

Commonwealth Medicine, the healthcare consulting and operations division of University of Massachusetts Medical School, provided logistical support and additional staffing, including an extensive volunteer pool.

“I am so grateful for the volunteers who joined the Vaccine Corps and dedicated their time to the clinic,” said Commonwealth Medicine Executive Vice Chancellor Lisa Colombo. “They are the heart and soul of this operation. Their strength and resilience are a true testament to the power of partnership that we will count on as we continue to vaccinate more individuals in Massachusetts.”

The historic vaccination effort was strengthened by the newly created UMass Medical School Vaccine Corps, a dedicated group of 7,200 volunteers who signed up through an online portal to contribute their time.

“This large-scale vaccination site provided a beacon of hope for tens of thousands in our region,” said UMass Medical School (UMMS) Chancellor Michael F. Collins.

The concept of a volunteer vaccine corps was inspired by a Boston Globe opinion column authored by Collins and University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan to help get the vaccine to as many people as quickly as possible, particularly members of vulnerable and homebound populations.

What began as a grassroots effort of several UMMS medical and graduate nursing school students and faculty, has expanded under the direction of Commonwealth Medicine. Thanks to the generosity of Wagner Automotive Group of Shrewsbury, the UMass Medical School Vaccine Corps now has a vaccine mobile unit that will transport volunteers and vaccines to a variety of clinics run by the Worcester Division of Public Health.

“Thanks to the support of our donors, students and Vaccine Corps volunteers, we look forward to deploying the Vaccine Corps mobile van to bridge the last mile and deliver COVID-19 vaccines to those in need,” Collins said.

Massachusetts residents are encouraged to find vaccination sites near them by logging onto the Commonwealth’s website.

“The Regional Vaccination Site at Worcester State University has been a terrific asset for the City of Worcester and our efforts to get shots into the arms of as many folks as possible,” City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. said. “I am greatly appreciative of the efforts of Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester State University and Commonwealth Medicine in bringing that site online and operating it for more than three months.”

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