West Michigan Vaccine Clinic Requests Volunteers from the Community– UPDATE

Volunteers contributing 20 hours of service or more to qualify for vaccination

UPDATE: February 3, 2021

The West Michigan Vaccination Clinic and its partner organizations want to thank the thousands of people who have responded to our call for volunteers. The generosity of our West Michigan community is incredible.

Because of the significant response, we are pausing volunteer signups for now. We will work through the current batch of volunteers and, based on vaccine supplies and clinic needs, may reopen volunteer opportunities in the future.

People interested in volunteering and who have not yet signed up are welcome to check back at the website for possible future signup opportunities.

**Sharing on behalf of the Kent County Health Department**

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Feb. 2, 2021– The West Michigan Vaccine Clinic at DeVos Place, operated by Kent County, Spectrum Health and Mercy Health in collaboration with Vaccinate West Michigan, is seeking community volunteers in non-clinical roles to support the vaccine clinic.

When vaccine is available for the clinic to open at full capacity, approximately 150 volunteers are needed per 4-hour shift. Volunteers may assist with greeting clinic attendees, providing directional assistance, escorting attendees who need help, sanitizing and organizing supplies, performing temperature checks and more. Volunteers need not have prior healthcare experience.

To begin the volunteer process, community members ages 18 and older are asked to complete this survey with Kent County Emergency Management, which is partnering to assist with volunteer management at the clinic. Additionally, volunteers must not have any felonies or misdemeanors within the last ten years, have a valid driver’s license with no suspensions in the past five years, and not had a fever or symptoms of the COVID-19 virus for at least 14 days prior to volunteering. The survey will include authorization for a routine background check. Upon completion, eligible volunteers will receive a confirmation email and instructions for signing up for available shifts.

“Vaccinating our community is a huge undertaking. Just as our organizations are working together, we believe that the West Michigan spirit in so many of our community members will draw people to this volunteer opportunity,” said Dr. Adam London, administrative health officer at the Kent County Health Department. “We are all in this together, and we believe the COVID-19 vaccine provides great hope for us to be able to return to normal and enjoy being with our families and friends again.”

Volunteers who sign a commitment promising at least 20 hours of service at the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic will become eligible for vaccination as a health care volunteer and part of critical infrastructure. These vaccinations will be made as soon as reasonably possible given the limitations of available vaccine supply and clinic schedule.

Volunteers will not receive pay for their time or travel; however, they will receive free parking in designated nearby parking structures and light refreshments will be provided.

Volunteers will receive training for their role immediately prior to their shift. Also, all volunteers will be required to wear a mask for their entire shift and must complete the CDC Facilities COVID-19 screening survey within four hours prior to the start of their shift.

Clinicians who are interested in volunteering are invited to complete the survey and may serve as general support volunteers. At this time, clinical roles are being staffed through partnering healthcare organizations and healthcare education partners. Should clinical volunteer shifts become available, clinical volunteers may be contacted with opportunities to fulfill such assignments.

As vaccine clinics expand and open within all west Michigan counties and with a focus on historically underserved communities, additional volunteer opportunities will arise here and with other vaccine providers.

Additional frequently asked questions are available here.

About Kent County

The County of Kent government serves a diverse population of more than 650,000 residents, making it the fourth largest county in Michigan. The County provides a wide range of essential services in the following areas: law enforcement, correctional facility, three court systems, elections, social services, public health, park system and vital records. Additionally, it has operating agreements for the maintenance of County drains, solid waste and road, mental health services, and with the Gerald R. Ford International Airport and John Ball Zoo. To learn more about Kent County services, visit www.accesskent.com.

About Spectrum Health

Spectrum Health System, a not-for-profit, integrated health system, is committed to improving the health and wellness of our communities. We live our mission every day with 31,000 compassionate professionals, 4,600 medical staff experts, 3,300 committed volunteers and a health plan serving more than 1 million members. Our talented physicians and caregivers are privileged to offer a full continuum of care and wellness services to our communities through 14 hospitals, including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, 150 ambulatory sites and telehealth offerings. We pursue health care solutions for today and tomorrow that diversify our offerings. Locally-governed and based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, our health system provided $550 million in community benefit in calendar year 2019. Thanks to the generosity of our communities, we received $37 million in philanthropy to support research, academics, innovation, and clinical care. Spectrum Health has been recognized as one of the nation’s 15 Top Health Systems by Truven Health Analytics®, part of IBM Watson HealthTM.

About Mercy Health

Mercy Health is a regional, multi-campus, Catholic health care system serving West Michigan and the lakeshore with 3 hospital campuses, 736 hospital beds, and more than 8,000 colleagues, as well as hospice, home health and long-term care service offerings. Mercy Health has annual operating revenues of about $1.4 billion and returns about $80 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs. Mercy Health Physician Partners, a multi-specialty medical group, employs more than 960 physicians and advanced practice professionals in more than 80 physician offices in Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Holland and along the West Michigan lakeshore. Mercy Health, a member of Trinity Health, is committed to being a trusted health partner for life, transforming the communities we serve, by providing high-quality care that is the most accessible, compassionate and personalized in West Michigan. Visit us at MercyHealth.com.

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Media Relations Contacts ONLY:

Steve Kelso, Kent County Health Department
(616) 202-8376
steve.kelso@kentcountymi.gov

Rick Jensen, Spectrum Health
616-706-2608
richard.jensen@spectrumhealth.org

Amy Rotter, Mercy Health
616-260-5101
amy.rotter@mercyhealth.com

People are at the heart of everything we do, and the inspiration for our legacy of outstanding outcomes, innovation, strong community partnerships, philanthropy and transparency. Corewell Health is a not-for-profit health system that provides health care and coverage with an exceptional team of 60,000+ dedicated people—including more than 11,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and more than 15,000 nurses providing care and services in 21 hospitals, 300+ outpatient locations and several post-acute facilities—and Priority Health, a provider-sponsored health plan serving more than 1.3 million members. Through experience and collaboration, we are reimagining a better, more equitable model of health and wellness. For more information, visit corewellhealth.org.

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