Hanover County celebrated the success of the COVID-19 vaccination clinic in the Ashland Junction Shopping Center with a lunch for the hundreds of volunteers who made it possible.
More than 51,000 vaccinations were administered at the center between January 29 and the final day, which was Friday, June 25. Dr. Thomas Franck, Director of the Chickahominy Health District, said that number ranked 15th out of 4000 organizations in the state. On March 26, 1141 people received a vaccination at the clinic, he said.
“It’s not the largest clinic in Virginia, but I have never seen a more efficient clinic than this one right here,” Franck said. “This is the gold standard in COVID vaccination.”
Board of Supervisors Chairman Sean Davis, County Administrator John A. Budesky and Deputy County Administrator Jim Taylor joined Franck in expressing their appreciation to the volunteers, who were fed hot dogs and hamburgers cooked by members of the Ashland Kiwanis Club.
“You have done what we needed to do for our residents in their time of need,” Budesky told the crowd of volunteers. “I’ve been so humbled by the work of so many to make a difference in our community.”
“Our goal was to provide the opportunity for every Hanover County citizen who wanted a vaccination to get a vaccination,” Davis said. “I believe that goal has been met, thanks to you.”
Hanover County has one of the highest vaccination rates in the state, Taylor said.
Budesky and members of the Board presented banners to the following organizations for the key roles they played during the effort.
- Sherwin Williams
- Reynolds Community College
- Episcopal Churches of Hanover County
- The Chickahominy Health District
- CERT
- The Town of Ashland
- Hanover County Public Schools
- The Henrico/Chickahominy Medical Reserve Corps
- Food Lion
- The Hanover NAACP
- Randolph-Macon College
- Ashland Kiwanis Club
The final person to receive a vaccination at the center was Jeffrey Fields of Caroline County, who received a gift bag from Budesky. Volunteers also received gifts of appreciation.
Hanover Fire/EMS was in charge of the operation, which received significant support from County employees who volunteered not only at the clinic but at the Hanover County COVID-19 call center, which handled more than 20,000 calls.