STEPHEN RICCIO
Pontiac April 28, 2021
As the CISSSO considers rolling out vaccination teams filled with interested residents, MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller has already secured a list of at least . . .
38 people who reached out to help.
According to CISSSO media relations agent Patricia Rhéaume, the idea of using willing residents to make mobile vaccination units is being evaluated by health authorities.
“The objective is to expand the vaccination offer and to move the vaccination teams on an ad hoc basis,” she explained in an email. “Moreover, the citizens who have left their name and have shown an interest will be contacted by human resources.”
Toller told THE EQUITY on April 20 that she had already heard from 25 people within a day of calling for help through CHIP FM on April 17, and had heard from 38 by the next evening.
“I was concerned that I would have difficulty finding people who would be willing, because I think that with COVID many people have gotten into the habit of staying home and some might have been a bit worried about stepping forward, but I call it responding to the call,” she said. “The call was made and the Pontiac answered in a way that more than met my expectations and I’m so proud because our region is the first to have found not just 25 people, but extra.”
Toller is unsure of when the process of using these people’s help might begin, but she’s hopeful it is soon so that the province can get a leg up in reaching the government’s stated goal of vaccinating everyone aged 18 and older by June 24.
While Rhéaume did not provide details on a potential timeline, she added that the health authority is also looking for people to help at the Pontiac’s vaccination site, the Campbell’s Bay RA Centre, particularly those who are trained to directly assist in vaccinating.
“There are four people who are capable because of their nursing training to give vaccinations,” Toller said.
She also said she was pleased with the versatile group that reached out to her, which included some people working full-time jobs who were open to helping however they can on evenings and weekends.
Should the project plan go forward, those who end up being recruited would get paid for their help, although Toller is not sure of the specific details surrounding that.
She added that she took part in a virtual meeting with the MRC’s mayors and CISSSO’s deputy CEO France Dumont and Dr. Brigitte Pinard about the plan, and she also said a separate takeaway from that meeting was the need to encourage people to get a vaccine.
“Anyone who is considering not having the vaccination should really rethink that,” she said. “It’s not a mandatory vaccination but I do think that to really insulate the Pontiac and make sure we don’t continue to have people carrying it, that everybody should think about not just themselves but their neighbours.”
