On Wednesday the All4Oregon COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic team provided an update and tour of the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) to leaders from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Oregon Emergency Management (OEM) and Metro. The clinic operates five days a week and provides vaccinations to more than 5,200 people each day, one of the highest throughputs in the country.
The All4Oregon clinic is set up to provide a variety of vaccination options
According to the All4Oregon team, the current number of vaccinations is only limited by number of vaccine doses available. The clinic is ready to scale up as more vaccines are produced and distributed. As of March 2, 2021 more than 130,000 doses had been administered at the site.
Representatives from FEMA and OEM shared how impressed they were with the team’s planning, logistics and efficiency. A patient’s visit lasts an average of 40 minutes to go “door to door.” That includes time spent exiting their vehicle, traveling to the exhibit hall, checking in, getting their vaccination, being observed by healthcare professionals and getting back to their vehicle. Moving people through so quickly allows the All4Oregon staff to see 750 people per hour.
All4Oregon is a collaboration between Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Health, Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and Providence healthcare systems. The four systems have pooled together their vaccine supply, medical staff and clinical staff to work side by side.
Councilor Craddick speaks with FEMA representatives at vaccine clinic
Leaders from Metro, the regional government that owns and operates OCC, expressed their gratitude for Metro and OCC staff who were able to pivot quickly to create space for vital services needed to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Councilor Shirley Craddick joined the tour and shared how pleased she is that OCC staff and Metro employees were able to find new use for the venue and work with healthcare partners in a support role. She also expressed her thanks for all the healthcare, frontline and first responders who were operating the clinic and putting in long hours.
Metro has also made the Portland Expo Center available for OHSU to operate a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site.
Vaccinations at OCC are by appointment only and scheduled by the Oregon Health Authority. Several additional clinics and events are happening across Oregon and Washington. Up to date information can be found at county websites.
While Metro and OCC look forward to when events can safely resume at all visitor venues to build strong connections to the arts, inspire innovation, and employ thousands of workers across greater Portland, they are proud to serve the community in this capacity.