Media Contact: Tim Kershner, Director of Communications and Public Affairs
603-356-5461 ext. 2198
timothy.kershner@mainehealth.org
NORTH CONWAY, NH – The Memorial Hospital COVID-19 vaccine clinic in downtown North Conway will close on Tuesdays beginning the week of January 31. The clinic will remain open on Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., accepting appointments and walk-ins and offering all doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson to all eligible ages.
With demand for first and second doses and boosters declining, Memorial plans to redeploy clinic staff back to positions at the hospital to help with rising patient volume.
Operations at the hospital’s COVID-19 testing center on the hospital campus remain unchanged. The center is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. until noon. Appointments are required for testing and can be made by calling 603-356-0673.
Memorial opened the vaccine clinic in the former Mt. Washington Weather Discovery Center in North Conway in early 2021, and has since administered almost 25,000 vaccine doses. At first, they were administering more than 250 vaccines per day, five days per week. A drop in demand in late summer 2021 led to a change in the clinic schedule, eventually to one day per week. A spike in demand caused by the delta surge and then the omicron surge led Memorial to add Tuesdays back to the schedule. Now that demand has declined again and they are returning to Wednesdays only.
The reduction in vaccine hours is not an indication that the pandemic is coming to an end.
“We still have a third of New Hampshire residents who are not fully vaccinated,” says Will Owen, RN, Memorial’s Emergency Operations Coordinator. “But, at least for now, with demand dropping we determined our resources could be better used by opening just one day per week.” He adds that if demand rises again, the clinic can easily scale back up, similar to what happened last summer after the initial demand tapered off.
While reducing hours for vaccinations makes good operational sense, Chief Medical Officer, Matt Dunn, DO, joins Owen in warning residents that COVID-19 is still present in the community and reminds them of the importance of being vaccinated and receiving a booster.
“The delta surge and the omicron surge have highlighted the effectiveness of vaccines to protect against severe illness and hospitalization. Other tools include masking, social distancing and hand hygiene,” Dunn says. “We know the most effective tool is vaccination. We need to get as many people vaccinated as possible.”
First doses and boosters, can be scheduled at Memorial Hospital’s vaccine clinic by visiting vaccine.mainehealth.org.
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About Memorial Hospital
Memorial Hospital is a not-for-profit 25-bed Critical Access Hospital located in North Conway, NH, and is a member of the MaineHealth family. Its hospital services include a 24-hour emergency department, surgery center, clinical laboratory, heart health & wellness programs, imaging services, cardiopulmonary care, family birthing center, oncology, chemotherapy and infusion services. Practices include primary care and family medicine, diabetes care, behavioral health, women's health, podiatry, orthopedics and physical therapy. Memorial Hospital is also home to The Merriman House nursing home, which provides senior care services in a comfortable, home-like setting. For more information, visit memorialhospitalnh.org or call 603-356-5461.