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Image courtesy of the Niagara County Department of Health/Transit Drive-in
Image courtesy of the Niagara County Department of Health/Transit Drive-in

NCDOH: First week of POD at Transit Drive-In Theatre successful due to planning & partnerships

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Fri, Jan 15th 2021 10:35 am

The Niagara County Department of Health (NCDOH) announces the first week of Point of Dispensing (POD) operations was a large success due to years of planning and valuable partnerships.

“We have vaccinated close to 1,000 individuals in the last week and are well positioned to double that number in the following week,” stated Elise Pignatora, Director of Public Health Planning and Emergency Preparedness. “This accomplishment is a product of our detailed planning in concert with the development and maintenance of many partnerships,” stated Daniel J. Stapleton, Public Health Director. The Niagara County Department of Health has been working closely with Niagara County Office of Emergency Management and Niagara County Sheriff’s Office on COVID-19 response capabilities over the last year. From COVID- 19 testing to mass vaccination campaigns, these Departments, with support from many others, to include the Niagara County Medical Reserve Corps volunteers, work to protect the health and safety of Niagara County residents.

New partnerships, such as those developed with the local Transit Drive-In Theatre, have aided in making these long developed plans come to fruition. “The Transit Drive-In Theatre has been very accommodating and supportive of our mass vaccination campaign,” stated Mr. Stapleton.

"Making our facilities available is the easy part. The real work will be undertaken by the many dedicated public employees and volunteers working together on behalf of Niagara County residents, who will be coordinating and staffing the vaccination site. It is my sincere hope that this partnership effort will contribute to our recovery process from this devastating pandemic, from both a public health and economic standpoint,” stated Rick Cohen, Owner of Transit Drive-In.

“We are deeply appreciative of the Transit Drive-In Theatre providing their property to us free of charge, to aid in ensuring the largest number of community members receive their vaccine as soon as possible,” emphasized Mr. Stapleton.

“The locally owned Transit Drive-In property is an ideal location for Point of Dispensing (POD) operations,” stated Ms. Pignatora. “Located in Lockport, NY the site offers several large parking lots on a main road with ample space to control for bottlenecks. Additionally, the site has an FM transmitter, enabling us to broadcast patient education while participants drive-through the operation,” she added. The drive- through model will allow for a safe socially distanced wait as individuals are processed in the POD. POD operations are pre-registration only and scheduled on a week-to-week basis. For more information about Niagara County Department of Health COVID-19 POD operations, to include eligibility and pre- registration information, visit: https://www.niagaracounty.com/health/Services/Public-Health-Preparedness/2019-Novel-Coronavirus-COVID-19/COVID-19-V accination.

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