'Where Benny's Used To Be': Middletown Vaccine Site Opens

MIDDLETOWN, RI — Rhode Island's third mass coronavirus site accepted its first patients this week. Along with being the first state-run site in the East Bay, it is also the first of its kind in the region to be directly staffed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The National Guard allowed the media a peek inside the new site Thursday morning, which is located inside the former Benny's store at 1400 W Main Rd. While slightly smaller than the Cranston and Providence vaccine sites, the site can currently accommodate 150 vaccine appointments per hour, which works out to about 1,000 doses administered daily. All vaccine doses will be given by appointment only.

The vaccine distribution flow follows the same structure as the other state-run sites. Upon entry, a greeter checks for COVID-19 symptoms or a fever, then directs the person inside to the first station. There, employees verify the person's name and date of birth to make sure they have an appointment. No ID will be required at this stage.

The next step is data entry, where the person has the opportunity to ask a medical professional any questions they might have about the vaccine, and staffers ensure the person is eligible to get vaccinated that day. After this step, it's time to actually get the shot. Vaccines are administered at the Middletown site by registered nurses from the Providence Veteran's Affairs Medical Center.

After the vaccine is administered, the person is sent to the observation area, where they wait 15 minutes, or slightly longer if they have a history of a bad reaction to a vaccine. During that time, the person can scan a QR code on their chair to schedule their second dose appointment, if needed. Contracted emergency medical services are on site in case of an adverse reaction during the waiting period.

Going forward, the Middletown vaccine site will distribute both the single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine and the two-shot Pfizer vaccine. How many of each are given out depends on the supply from the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Middletown's site is unique, since it brings together staff from about 12 federal agencies. While FEMA has been providing support for vaccination efforts all along through personal protective equipment, funding and more, this is the first site in FEMA's Region One to be actually staffed by federal workers.

"We were really excited to get our federal family involved," said Emily Martuscello, the FEMA supervisor of Rhode Island's vaccine sites. "We have about 60 staff [at the Middletown site] from across the federal government."

Martuscello isn't kidding. Alongside FEMA employees are a myriad of other federal departments, such as workers from the U.S. Forestry Service that were enlisted to staff the observation area. The federal employees arrived in Rhode Island Monday, and after getting trained by the National Guard at the Cranston vaccine site, set up shop in the East Bay on Tuesday. By 9 a.m. Wednesday, the first shots were headed into Rhode Islanders' arms.

Middletown Sen. Louis DiPalma praised newly minted Gov. Dan McKee for getting the new site operational so quickly.

"The islanders, myself included, are elated," the East Bay Democrat said. "This will benefit not just Aquidneck Island, not just the East Bay, but the state as well ... the East Bay is a large area, I think more [mass vaccination] sites are coming."

Eligible Rhode Island residents can make an appointment to get their vaccine at the new Middletown site, as well as those in Cranston and Providence, on the Department of Health's website. A fourth site in the former Sears store in Woonsocket, is set to open in the coming weeks.

At all state-run sites, residents are encouraged to take an appointment at the first site available to them, which may not necessarily be the closest to their address. All state-run sites are open to all Rhode Island residents.

Read more:

• RI's Weekly Coronavirus News Conference Moved To Friday
• CVS Adds 4 Vaccination Sites Across Rhode Island
  
• Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Approved, Arrives In Rhode Island
  
• Vaccine Eligibility For High-Risk, 60-64 RIers Expected Mid-March