The Scarborough Downs clinic has played a leading role in vaccinating Mainers since its opening on Feb. 3. More than 87,000 doses have been administered at the 30,000- square foot building, and 6.6 percent of those vaccinated in Maine received COVID-19 vaccines there. Overall, more than 362,000 doses, 27.5 percent of the vaccinations in Maine, have been administered to date by MaineHealth.
MaineHealth redeployed hundreds of care team members to ensure the clinics could be run safely and efficiently. Employees from local businesses, including WEX, LL Bean, Hannaford, Unum and others, generously supported the vaccination effort by volunteering as greeters and screeners. The clinic’s “gratitude wall,” which began when patients started posting personalized messages of appreciation on a wall at the clinic’s exit, is now covered with thousands of sticky notes expressing gratitude for the work of clinic staff and volunteers and hopes for a COVID-19-free future.
The grandstand at Scarborough Downs was transformed into a clinic in just 15 days back in February by a 100-member team from 41 Maine-based companies led by Crossroads Holdings, the Scarborough development company that is redeveloping 500-plus acres at the Downs. Scarborough-based Maine Properties and Risbara Brothers Construction led the retrofitting work needed to transform the 30,000- square foot building into a clinical space, including improving access to high-speed broadband and building out refrigeration rooms that are needed to house the vaccines.
“Thanks to our care team members and community volunteers, our high-volume clinics, such as Scarborough Downs, have been instrumental in Maine’s success at quickly vaccinating more than 54 percent of its eligible population,” said Joan Boomsma, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at MaineHealth. “It’s time now to shift our approach and meet those who have not been vaccinated where they are, and that means transitioning to smaller school- and community-based sites.”
Vaccine appointments are still available at MaineHealth’s Westbrook clinic to patients 12 and older, and the health system’s high-volume vaccination clinics in Sanford and Brunswick are open for appointments and walk-ins while their status continues to be evaluated based on volume and community need.
Those who arrive for a vaccine appointment should bring their insurance information, though there is no out-of-pocket cost associated with a vaccination, and people who are uninsured can still get a free shot. Additionally, those under 18-years old require parental consent. Visit vaccine.mainehealth.org or call 1-877-780-7545 to make an appointment.
###
About MaineHealth:
MaineHealth is a not-for-profit integrated health system consisting of nine local hospital systems, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and more than 1,700 employed and independent physicians working together through an Accountable Care Organization. With close to 23,000 employees, MaineHealth is the largest health system in northern New England and provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. It includes Franklin Memorial Hospital/Franklin Community Health Network in Farmington, LincolnHealth in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, Maine Behavioral Healthcare in South Portland, MaineHealth Care at Home in Saco, Maine Medical Center in Portland, Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., Mid Coast-Parkview Health in Brunswick, NorDx in Scarborough, Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital in Rockport and Belfast, Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford and Sanford, Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook and Stephens Memorial Hospital/Western Maine Health Care in Norway. MaineHealth Affiliates include Maine General Health in Augusta and Waterville, New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland and St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization in Portland.