One year later, progress in Putnam

Mary McCormack, Nina Battista, and Margaret Yurus work the registration table at the vaccine clinic in Brewster.

BREWSTER — When the COVID-19 pandemic began a year ago, CSEA members working for the Putnam County Department of Health swung into action, setting up a county-run COVID-19 drive-through testing site.

At that point, it was mostly only state-run testing sites available, close to an hour’s drive away in Westchester County.

That quick action, possible due to the years of training and education of union members working in public health and emergency management, ensured residents of this small county didn’t have to travel far to be tested for the virus.

One year later, CSEA-represented county workers are using the same teamwork getting members the services they need in their own communities. The county Health Department has been hosting pop-up vaccination clinics at different locations across the county.

Putnam County Highway and Facilities Department workers quickly converted several sites across the county to be used for vaccine clinics. From left: Chris Lauria, Dean Hanaburgh, Eric Woznuka and Michael Carney.

CSEA members from the county’s Highway and Facilities Department have quickly transformed spaces such as empty retail space in Brewster and made outdoor improvements needed to create handicapped accessibility at a site in Garrison.

Rather than advance scheduling, holding the pop-up clinics has allowed county officials to ensure they have the needed vaccine doses on hand so they don’t have to turn away people who’ve registered.

On a recent Friday, public health nurses were seated around a table where they prepared doses of the Pfizer vaccine. This particular vaccine, they explained, required extra careful preparation and handling to ensure the doses are ready to be administered.

As this edition went to press, CSEA members working on clinics were preparing to expand the footprint for clinics. This was in preparation for expanded vaccine eligibility and, hopefully, a larger number of available vaccine doses.

— Jessica Ladlee