Armed with computers, WiFi, plexiglass and administrative assistance, Pulaski County Public Library executive director MacKenzie Ledley, along with the library’s staff and board of directors, offered their assistance to county health officials to help set up a county vaccine clinic and to join the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

They didn’t have to offer twice.

The task of administering the much-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine has fallen heavily on local health officials in their communities across the nation. Resources, preparation and assistance vary widely.“I kiss the ground (the library staff) walks on,” reports Vicki White who, along with Lynette Altman (both nurses), co-manages the county’s vaccine clinic. “I mean that sincerely. There’s no way we would have gotten the 70-, 80- and 90-year-olds signed up for their vaccinations without the library’s support. They have been phenomenal.”

“The Pulaski County Health Department was set to receive delivery of the vaccine and had secured a location for the vaccinations to take place, but had no additional resources to administer the project,” explained Ledley.

Working with PCHD and Pulaski Memorial Hospital, it was agreed the library would assist with the operational needs of the clinic.

As a result, the services rendered by Pulaski County Public Library have been instrumental in making Pulaski County’s Vaccine Clinic among the most successful in the state - and have attracted the notice of other libraries statewide.

Also, representatives from the offices of U.S. Sen. Todd Young and State Sen. Ed Charbonneau have visited the Pulaski County Vaccine Clinic to observe and learn how the operation has been set up.

PCPL’s vaccine clinic support

The local library has contributed the following resources to the clinic:

• Computers – Eight available laptops, half of them purchased several years ago with federal funding through the Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA), are being used for registration and administrative purposes at the clinic. 
• WiFi – The library worked with local internet service providers Lightstream and Venture Wireless on options for connecting the Knights of Columbus (the clinic site) to the internet.
• Plexiglass – Several self-standing plexiglass shields that were purchased by the library using the county’s portion of the CARES money are being utilized by the registration volunteers at the clinic. 
• On-site assistance – Library staff members are on-call during the operational hours of the clinic to aid any technology needs. 

Library staff members are also helping with administrative needs:

•  Volunteers - PCHD needs volunteers but lacked the methodology to organize them efficiently. The library team suggested using Facebook to create a volunteer interest form. This resulted in 122 responses (to date) by the community to assist. (Not everyone is actively volunteering at this time.)
• The clinic administrator coordinates with the library when emails need to be sent out to the volunteers. Library staff member Michael Rose then creates another form that helps to categorize the availability of the volunteers.
• Arms – A top priority is to not throw any vaccine away. Another developed interest form allowed clinic organizers to get an idea of how many individuals were interested in receiving the vaccine locally. Almost immediately, the clinic has had 1,100 responses to this form. From this form, library staff members were able to begin registering people based on their age group. When PCHD spots are full, the library staff shares outstanding, eligible community contact information with PMH for its separate vaccine clinic. (The library does not have permission to schedule for the PMH clinic.)
• Digital divide – Clinic organizers recognized there would be many people who were unable to connect with the online form, yet would be interested in receiving a shot. With this in mind, library staff worked with PMH to create a hotline with vaccine information. The hotline gives a COVID vaccine update, then forwards to the library telephone system where people can leave a message regarding their interest in a COVID vaccine or to volunteer. Community volunteer Becky Dilts comes in to help listen to all of the messages each morning, and then the library staff monitors the mailboxes for the rest of the day. Staff members call individuals who leave a message and fill out the interest form with them over the telephone. 
• Registration – Three library staff members have had training on the registration system, ZOTEC, which is used by PCHD. 

Regarding the vaccine registration process, Ledley explains, “We are technically volunteers for the clinic, even though we are off-site. When we call people, we do not share that we’re calling from the library, but state that we are volunteers with PCHD.

“We are much faster than the 211 phone call, and I’d like to think much friendlier, too,” she continued. “We are also able to complete more of the registration process than what people are able to complete with the state’s 211 call line or the “our shot” website. Many times by the end of the call, people are so energetic that they want to know our names and thank us. This has been an incredibly rewarding experience.”

Library volunteer Michael Rose oversees the computer technology at the clinic. He explains that every volunteer – whether working with registration, vaccine administration, or observation – needs access to the online Zotec platform. The registration process also includes such tasks as tracking the vaccine bottles being used through their barcodes.

“Zotec enables and keeps track of each step of the process,” Rose said. “I configured library laptops so that they’d be easy to use with Zotec, even for volunteers who might be coming in to work at the clinic for the first time.”

He set up the system at the clinic site and worked with the hospital to secure internet service. He has been available for troubleshooting and answering questions.

In addition, Rose has been managing the vaccine interest form.

“This is the master list of people who have expressed an interest in receiving the vaccine,” he explains. “I set up the library’s phone system to handle messages left by people on our county’s vaccine hotline (946-2592), and I also created an online form for people who prefer that method. Every day the list gets updated with new people, whether they responded to the online form or called the hotline. I sort and filter the list to see who’s in an eligible priority group, and who’s been scheduled for an appointment.”

Library staff volunteers Denise Hettinger and Elaine Dunlop call eligible individuals to set up their appointments. Additional community volunteers also assist with the process.

“As the number of interested people and the state’s vaccine priority groups have grown, this project has grown along with them,” Rose said. “We’re doing everything we can to get eligible people into appointments as quickly as possible. If you want the vaccine, we’re working to help you get it.”

PCPL executive director MacKenzie Ledley (left) and clinic co-director Vicki White meet with a representative from Sen. Todd Young’s office.

Volunteers prove invaluable

Setting up and operating the county’s vaccine clinic has taken a gigantic effort by all involved – the hospital, health department and library – and especially the community volunteers who include many medical professionals who have come out of retirement to help.

Also joining the effort to set up and assist in the clinic operation is the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department. Chief Deputy Chris Schramm has taken charge of clinic logistics.

Ledley observed that Schramm has been “an absolute dynamo throughout this clinic. “The county jail staff comes to the clinic, and they sanitize everything that people touch.” She added that “Chris respects the seriousness of COVID and is really working hard to encourage people to get vaccinated and to keep the clinic from becoming a super spreader location.”

Clinic co-directors White and Altman have also praised the dozens of community volunteers who are assisting at the clinic, some for four to eight hours per week.

“They are wonderful,” White said. “They have really stepped up to the plate.”

All the clinic organizers agree with Ledley when she reports “there have really been so many heart-warming stories coming from registering people for vaccine, and even in seeing the community dedication in the face of a deadly pandemic.

Rose said he has enjoyed seeing different organizations and community members coming together to help with the local vaccine clinic. 

“Everyone has had different resources to bring to the table,” he said. “We’ve worked together, each sharing our own strengths, to make this all possible. Vicki and Lynette have been great to work with, and our clinic wouldn’t be where it is without their ongoing efforts.”

He added the work has also been “a real team effort” at the library as well. Since long before the pandemic library staff members have been helping people use computers, complete various online forms, and find needed information. 

“We know that not everyone has the skills to navigate complex online registration sites or convoluted phone systems,” Rose noted. “Helping members of our community sign up to receive their shots is just one more way we’re able to serve the public.” 

Ledley also pointed out that librarians are trained in customer service, “so this was truly a natural fit. We are glad to be able to use our resources to assist our community in this time of need.” She is especially pleased about the computers the library made available for clinic use. “It shows how important these grants are to the community.”

“We have been so excited to help,” she added, “and for the opportunity to touch so many lives.”

“At the end of the day, we all want the same thing - an end to this pandemic,” Rose observed. “Working with Pulaski County’s vaccine clinic is our way of helping us all get to that end a little bit sooner.”

PulaskiPost news feature by Karen Clem Fritz