Academic Medicine Open Forum

For today’s lesson in “know your strengths” we highlight some of the more successful—logistically speaking—COVID-19 vaccine distributions and the professionals who were tapped to make that happen:

• the state of Massachusetts has hired the event coordinator/race director of the Boston Marathon to run mass vaccination operations at Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park
• theme parks in California will be the host of mass vaccination efforts
• corporate logistics pros from Starbucks and Amazon are helping provide operations support to vaccine distribution efforts in Washington state
• After a major traffic jam at a COVID-19 testing site in Mount Pleasant, SC, the mayor called a local Chick-fil-A manager for help. It will not surprise Chick-fil-A drive-thru fans to learn that the manager reduced the wait time down from 60 to 15 minutes.

Are you seeing smart use of outside expertise in your communities to ensure smooth vaccine distribution or rapid testing?

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Ross McKinney, MD
Chief Scientific Officer
Association of American Medical Colleges
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Ross,
My wife and I were able to experience first-hand the efficient operation taking place at Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA. Teaming up with the Valley Health System and the Lord Fairfax Health District, vaccinations were given at the athletic facility. On-line registration was simple and straightforward. You were given a date and time. On-site directions were provided by parking lot attendants, those needing assistance were picked up in golf carts, greeters made sure you were in the right place at the right time, seating was spaced out and easily movable if needed, registration was completed within 2 minutes, while waiting for your vaccination you were encouraged to prep for the shot, nursing personnel provided the vaccinations and you were observed for 15 minutes while a student played her violin in front of you. They were vaccinating 50 people every 15 minutes. When asked to explain how such an efficient operation developed, the University President explained that in rural areas, where resources are limited, it is often the strength of partnerships and a dose of creativity, that helps meet unanticipated challenges.
Last Friday when we went back for our second vaccination, they were doing twice as many vaccinations as previously planned because icy weather had closed the facility the day before. They adapted and modified the operation and adjusted the flow to achieve the same efficiency. Volunteers included students, faculty, and community members. 

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John E. Prescott, M.D.
Chief Academic Officer
AAMC
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-22-2021 07:02
From: Ross McKinney
Subject: Question of the Week: Are you seeing smart use of "outside expertise" in vaccine distribution?

For today's lesson in "know your strengths" we highlight some of the more successful-logistically speaking-COVID-19 vaccine distributions and the professionals who were tapped to make that happen:

• the state of Massachusetts has hired the event coordinator/race director of the Boston Marathon to run mass vaccination operations at Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park
• theme parks in California will be the host of mass vaccination efforts
• corporate logistics pros from Starbucks and Amazon are helping provide operations support to vaccine distribution efforts in Washington state
• After a major traffic jam at a COVID-19 testing site in Mount Pleasant, SC, the mayor called a local Chick-fil-A manager for help. It will not surprise Chick-fil-A drive-thru fans to learn that the manager reduced the wait time down from 60 to 15 minutes.

Are you seeing smart use of outside expertise in your communities to ensure smooth vaccine distribution or rapid testing?

------------------------------
Ross McKinney, MD
Chief Scientific Officer
Association of American Medical Colleges
------------------------------

That's impressive, John!  We were similarly vaccinated in an efficient system by Orange Co NC in a UNC parking lot using staff that came from various local health systems.  4 lanes wide, and the vaccinees (like me) never left their car. 



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Ross McKinney, MD
Chief Scientific Officer
Association of American Medical Colleges
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-23-2021 06:48
From: John E. Prescott
Subject: Question of the Week: Are you seeing smart use of "outside expertise" in vaccine distribution?

Ross,
My wife and I were able to experience first-hand the efficient operation taking place at Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA. Teaming up with the Valley Health System and the Lord Fairfax Health District, vaccinations were given at the athletic facility. On-line registration was simple and straightforward. You were given a date and time. On-site directions were provided by parking lot attendants, those needing assistance were picked up in golf carts, greeters made sure you were in the right place at the right time, seating was spaced out and easily movable if needed, registration was completed within 2 minutes, while waiting for your vaccination you were encouraged to prep for the shot, nursing personnel provided the vaccinations and you were observed for 15 minutes while a student played her violin in front of you. They were vaccinating 50 people every 15 minutes. When asked to explain how such an efficient operation developed, the University President explained that in rural areas, where resources are limited, it is often the strength of partnerships and a dose of creativity, that helps meet unanticipated challenges.
Last Friday when we went back for our second vaccination, they were doing twice as many vaccinations as previously planned because icy weather had closed the facility the day before. They adapted and modified the operation and adjusted the flow to achieve the same efficiency. Volunteers included students, faculty, and community members. 

------------------------------
John E. Prescott, M.D.
Chief Academic Officer
AAMC

Original Message:
Sent: 02-22-2021 07:02
From: Ross McKinney
Subject: Question of the Week: Are you seeing smart use of "outside expertise" in vaccine distribution?

For today's lesson in "know your strengths" we highlight some of the more successful-logistically speaking-COVID-19 vaccine distributions and the professionals who were tapped to make that happen:

• the state of Massachusetts has hired the event coordinator/race director of the Boston Marathon to run mass vaccination operations at Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park
• theme parks in California will be the host of mass vaccination efforts
• corporate logistics pros from Starbucks and Amazon are helping provide operations support to vaccine distribution efforts in Washington state
• After a major traffic jam at a COVID-19 testing site in Mount Pleasant, SC, the mayor called a local Chick-fil-A manager for help. It will not surprise Chick-fil-A drive-thru fans to learn that the manager reduced the wait time down from 60 to 15 minutes.

Are you seeing smart use of outside expertise in your communities to ensure smooth vaccine distribution or rapid testing?

------------------------------
Ross McKinney, MD
Chief Scientific Officer
Association of American Medical Colleges
------------------------------