Georgia Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) + HWL
Mission Possible Mass Vaccination Sites Speed Georgia’s Return to a Post-COVID Normal
Mission Possible: Mass Vaccination Sites Speed Georgia’s Return to a Post-COVID Normal
The global sigh of relief at the announcement of the first COVID-19 vaccine marked a turning point after nearly a year of pandemic-induced isolation and fear. Recognizing that widespread vaccinations were crucial for ending the global health crisis, Senior Vice President Lauren Cabral of Healthcare Workforce Logistics (HWL) undertook the challenging task of setting up vaccination clinics in the greater Boston area for two months. When called upon to assist with four mass vaccination sites in Georgia, a state consistently hit hard by the pandemic, Cabral, equipped with her experience, joined the collaborative effort to administer over 321,900 vaccinations in just thirteen weeks. Despite Georgia’s initial challenges in vaccine distribution, the collective efforts of individuals from various sectors, including government, corporate, and medical, successfully contributed to the mission of rapidly vaccinating as many eligible Georgians as possible.
The Situation
In Georgia, a state with one of the earliest clusters of COVID-19, the initial vaccine rollout had been slow by any measure. To speed the state’s effort, the Georgia Department of Health (DPH) partnered with Georgia Emergency Medical and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) to develop and execute a plan to vaccinate Georgians at four drive-through, mass vaccination sites strategically placed throughout the state. By the end of January, GEMA/HS had teams scoping locations and contracting vendors for practical logistics such as tents and portable toilets. However, they still needed hundreds of healthcare workers to administer the vaccines according to protocol.
Key Challenges
Urgency of timeline—less than two weeks from project launch to go-live
Changing protocols added complexity to site management
Staff adapting to a faster-paced and unfamiliar clinical environment
Diverse personalities and backgrounds of providers, government staff, and patient population
Our success in implementing scalable workforce solutions at hospitals and health systems around the country made HWL uniquely qualified to answer this crucial call from the state of Georgia. In a matter of weeks, the HWL team mapped out and executed a plan to administer hundreds of thousands of vaccines in record time. Our expertise was crucial for the success of the mission
Jonathan Ward
HWL President
The Goal
Develop a system to streamline and manage Banner's locums program with an automated, centralized platform that provides visibility into usage and spend through real-time reporting.
HWL In Action
Develop staffing matrix for each site specifying how many and what type of staff was needed.
Leverage vendor-neutral staffing model to source 131* clinicians from 40 agency vendors, ensuring training requirements and compliance standards met.
Identify Clinical Team Leader for each site to manage clinical staff and work closely with GEMA Site Leader.
Employ end-to-end MSP model to ensure clinical oversight, compliance management, vendor management, and workforce management.
Contract Medical Directors who would provide standing orders and be on-call to support the Clinical Team Leader at each site.
Deploy dedicated Field Operations Managers to ensure needs met at each site
It was a completely different pace than they were used to, so this required some recalibration. We adjusted the vetting process to better qualify candidates, and we impressed upon our agency partners the need to set clear expectations for what would be required at each site
Lauren Cabral
Senior Vice President of HWL
Execution
The staff reported to their designated sites for a walk-through on February 19th, and on the 22nd, they welcomed their first patients. Initially staffed at 50% capacity, the sites would ramp up to 100% within three weeks. An initial assessment revealed the site located at the Delta Flight Museum was experiencing a higher volume of patients than the others. In an effort to meet demand, the number of drivethrough lanes at the location was increased to eight, giving them the capacity to administer 4,000 vaccinations per day at that site alone. With the additional lanes, the capacity was there, but the assembly line-like circumstances were an adjustment for many of the clinicians.
Results
The success of the initial four vaccination sites led to the opening of five more on March 17th, coinciding with the governor’s announcement that all Georgians aged 16 and over could receive the vaccine, surging demand. Despite the mission to rapidly vaccinate eligible Georgians, the numbers surpassed expectations, with GEMA/HS vaccination sites administering 321,900 shots by May 21, 2021. HWL’s vendor-neutral staffing model facilitated the delivery of 306 compliant clinicians efficiently, but their contribution extended beyond workforce management. HWL also played a crucial role in extensive project planning, program management, clinical oversight, and compliance and protocol administration for this unprecedented undertaking.