COME TOGETHER, RIGHT NOW

SMACNA Western Washington and the Western Washington Sheet Metal JATC recent COVID vaccination clinic demonstrates the power of partnerships.

By / Natalie Bruckner

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Every day the sheet metal industry demonstrates this through joint efforts that are changing the world. A great example is the recent COVID vaccination drive organized by SMACNAWestern Washington, Rite Aid, and the Western Washington Sheet Metal JATC to set the wheels in motion.

It all started earlier this year when Julie Muller, executive vice president at SMACNA-WW, was approached by member contractors Holaday-Parks, Inc. and Holmberg Mechanical to help organize COVID vaccine shots for their teams. She immediately stepped up. It also got her thinking, “Why not organize more clinics to give easier access for those members who want the vaccine?”

After the partnership was set up with Rite Aid, SMACNAWW’s primary prescription provider, it was time to source the venues. Muller, alongside Carrie Heinrich, operation manager at SMACNA-WW and Patricia Bovie, marketing specialist at SMACNA-WW, picked up the phone to call in some favors. Hermanson Company, PSF Mechanical, and MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions were among those contractor companies that offered up their locations for the clinics, but finding a venue that could handle the volume on the south side of Washington state proved a little difficult.

Jeff Reinhardt, executive administrator for Western Washington Sheet Metal JATC, heard from the team at SMACNA-WW and offered to help. “Julie reached out to me and told me she was trying to hold the clinics at the contractors’ spaces, but they didn't have a good location on the south end,” Reinhardt says. “We came to an agreement that the JATC DuPont office was a good central area for the south side of Western Washington.”

The venue was perfect, not only because of its location, but also because it is a 35,000-square-foot facility, which meant it could handle the expected 200 capacity per clinic.

The team at SMACNA-WW had 18 vaccine clinics and locations locked down in a matter of 10 days and was busy working behind the scenes to ensure everything went smoothly.

“Honestly, SMACNA-WW took care of 90% of it,” Reinhardt says. “We just had to make sure we had the place set up, and we organized the parking and somewhere for people to hang out for 15 minutes after they had their vaccine.”

Bovie set up a simple registration process, which came as a relief to many. Each clinic had a scheduling link that could be sent to members, as opposed to trying to find out where and when the vaccine would be available, and then joining a wait list.

As for the clinics, the team at SMACNA-WW decided to use their event organizing skills and put a little spin on them. “In the normal clinics, people go into to get their vaccine, they get the shot, and then they have to wait 15 minutes in a room full of strangers,” Heinrich says. “That can feel like a long time. We wanted to take out any anxiety people may feel and give them something to do... and I mean, who doesn’t like to eat and drink for free?”

Each clinic was different, some with a DJ, others with a food truck or a hula hoop competition. On May 7 at the JATC DuPont office, members who visited the clinic were not only able to get their jab, but could enjoy catered Mexican food.

Naturally, Reinhardt had his COVID vaccine shot, too. “It was so simple,” he says. “I walked in, they gave me the shot, and I went back to my day with some great Mexican food.”

The second clinic at the JATC DuPont office was held during the final week of May. “We had some openings in the schedule for that one. We put signs out front so people could come in from the street,” Reinhardt says. During that clinic, visitors received a boxed lunch.

“For all the clinics, it really was a team effort,” Heinrich says. “We had great contractors to work with who helped pull this together, as well as a great JATC. Rite Aid was amazing, too.”

Bovie adds, “It was very rewarding, and we felt very proud of what we achieved in administering the vaccine to members and their families.”

As Washington state fully enters phase 3 and gets ready to open up (having reached 68.2% of its 70% vaccination threshold target statewide as of June 25), the partnership, hard work, and quick implementation of these clinics is further proof that by working together, much can be achieved in a very short space of time. ▪

Natalie is an award-winning writer who has worked in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, the United States, and Canada. She has more than 23 years experience as a journalist, editor, and brand builder, specializing in construction and transportation. When she’s not writing, you will likely find her snowboarding, mountain biking, or climbing mountains with her rescue dog.