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West MI Vaccine Collaborative
Grand Rapids
Hero Story
In true service to West Michigan and in cooperation with multiple community partners, the West Michigan Vaccine Collaborative came together remotely in a time when the COVID-19 pandemic forced people apart. The Collaborative included the Kent County Health Department, Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, and Spectrum Health. These community partners linked up to host a two-month, large-scale mass vaccination clinic at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, focused on the equitable and timely distribution and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in West Michigan.
Originally anticipating allocating 150,000 doses, the vaccine clinic exceeded that number. From January 2021 – May 2021, the clinic administered over 231,000 COVID-19 vaccinations, with a priority in reaching those in racial and ethnic minority communities that were hit harder than others.
The collaborative worked to be inclusive when setting up the clinic, and to hear from and serve all communities. Some of these efforts included:
• Onsite translation services
• Tours and feedback sessions with Hispanic and Black community leaders
• Media event with Spanish-speaking media outlets
• Bi-lingual promotional materials and wayfinding
The clinic also created 220 jobs, staffed 1,250 volunteers serving more than 2,500 hours, and had 2,000 paid colleagues from the Kent County Health Department, Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, and Spectrum Health.
The clinic helped to put Kent County more than five percentage points ahead of the rest of the state in vaccine coverage. On April 29, 2021, Governor Gretchen Whitmer became one of the hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents to receive their second dose at DeVos Place, highlighting the significance of the clinic in statewide vaccination efforts. At its peak, more than 12,500 vaccine doses were administered at the clinic in a single day, setting a statewide record with roughly 1,000 doses given per hour.
This Collaborative contributed to Michigan’s re-opening after the COVID-19 pandemic and helped put the West Michigan community on the path to economic recovery. The collective partnership will forever serve as a historic highlight for the community at a time when we were segregated, ultimately bringing us all back together.
Additional partners and support in the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic included 23 local entities – health departments, hospitals, businesses, non-profits, and universities. These include the Allegan Health Department, Barry-Eaton District Health Department, Berrien County Health Department, District Health Department #10, Ionia County Health Department, Mid-Michigan District Health Department, Muskegon County – Public Health, Ottawa County Department of Public Health, University of Michigan Health-West, Holland Hospital, Spectrum Health Lakeland, North Ottawa Community Hospital, Michigan Health & Hospital Association, Answer Health, Cherry Health, CVS Pharmacy, Kent County Emergency Medical Services, Meijer, SpartanNash, We Are For Children, Calvin University, Grand Valley State University, and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
West MI Vaccine Collaborative
Grand Rapids
Hero Story
In true service to West Michigan and in cooperation with multiple community partners, the West Michigan Vaccine Collaborative came together remotely in a time when the COVID-19 pandemic forced people apart. The Collaborative included the Kent County Health Department, Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, and Spectrum Health. These community partners linked up to host a two-month, large-scale mass vaccination clinic at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, focused on the equitable and timely distribution and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in West Michigan.
Originally anticipating allocating 150,000 doses, the vaccine clinic exceeded that number. From January 2021 – May 2021, the clinic administered over 231,000 COVID-19 vaccinations, with a priority in reaching those in racial and ethnic minority communities that were hit harder than others.
The collaborative worked to be inclusive when setting up the clinic, and to hear from and serve all communities. Some of these efforts included:
• Onsite translation services
• Tours and feedback sessions with Hispanic and Black community leaders
• Media event with Spanish-speaking media outlets
• Bi-lingual promotional materials and wayfinding
The clinic also created 220 jobs, staffed 1,250 volunteers serving more than 2,500 hours, and had 2,000 paid colleagues from the Kent County Health Department, Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, and Spectrum Health.
The clinic helped to put Kent County more than five percentage points ahead of the rest of the state in vaccine coverage. On April 29, 2021, Governor Gretchen Whitmer became one of the hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents to receive their second dose at DeVos Place, highlighting the significance of the clinic in statewide vaccination efforts. At its peak, more than 12,500 vaccine doses were administered at the clinic in a single day, setting a statewide record with roughly 1,000 doses given per hour.
This Collaborative contributed to Michigan’s re-opening after the COVID-19 pandemic and helped put the West Michigan community on the path to economic recovery. The collective partnership will forever serve as a historic highlight for the community at a time when we were segregated, ultimately bringing us all back together.
Additional partners and support in the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic included 23 local entities – health departments, hospitals, businesses, non-profits, and universities. These include the Allegan Health Department, Barry-Eaton District Health Department, Berrien County Health Department, District Health Department #10, Ionia County Health Department, Mid-Michigan District Health Department, Muskegon County – Public Health, Ottawa County Department of Public Health, University of Michigan Health-West, Holland Hospital, Spectrum Health Lakeland, North Ottawa Community Hospital, Michigan Health & Hospital Association, Answer Health, Cherry Health, CVS Pharmacy, Kent County Emergency Medical Services, Meijer, SpartanNash, We Are For Children, Calvin University, Grand Valley State University, and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.