GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The West Michigan Vaccine Clinic at DeVos Place has been pivotal in the fight against COVID in West Michigan. Friday, it will close its doors, after administering 231,000 doses of the vaccine.
"So, since January 25, we knew there would be a day where mass vaccination would no longer be needed. It was all about supply and demand. We knew early on that there was very limited supply of vaccine and a very high demand for that vaccine. So, in order to be efficient for our community, we had to centralize that resource and distribute it in really large settings," said Mark VanDyke, manager of Business Assurance at Spectrum Health.
This clinic has been at the center of VanDyke's life for the past year. He said that while closing it is bitter-sweet, the clinic isn't needed in the same way it was during the beginning of the campaign to vaccinate.
"There is now more vaccine available at more places. We can go to our local grocery store, a local pharmacy, even our primary care physicians, and they all have the ability to provide the vaccine," he said. "Most Michigan residents can get it within four miles of their home. That's why we made the decision to kind of wind down the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic and transition to other vaccine providers that are closer to where people are."
VanDyke said the clinic will give second-dose vaccines to just over 2,500 patients on Friday. He said staff and volunteers are excited to have been able to provide such a valuable service to those patients and the community.
"And, just like many of our other patients, that we've seen over the last four months, they're going to be smiling, crying and cheering on their way out. But our staff members are a little sad about it, as well. They've put a lot of effort, and a lot of hours into this clinic," said VanDyke. "Our volunteers have put in over 25,000 hours of time. Our staff members from West Michigan, either Spectrum Health or the Kent County Health Department, or Mercy Health Saint Mary's, have put in over 55,000 hours. We've made a real effort here to end this pandemic. And, it's going to be kind of sad walking out of that place that we've called home for the last four months."
VanDyke says he is particularly proud of how the West Michigan community stepped up during this public health emergency, and said the clinic's success is directly linked to the collaboration and selflessness of those involved.
"Our community members stepped up to volunteer. Our organizations, that usually compete with each other, stepped up to work together," he said. "The physicians, the nurses, and the vaccine administrators who worked here knew that this felt different. They walked out smiling. They walked out crying tears of joy, because their patients were crying tears of joy. And it was just a way different feeling than it was working in the hospital, for the last year and a half. To be able to provide that opportunity for our patients, to be able to provide that opportunity for our staff, was by far the highlight of my career and something I will never forget.
While the days of the West Michigan Vaccine Clinic are coming to an end, VanDyke stresses the fight against COVID-19 and the push to vaccinate are far from over.
"We've got to get the rest of our folks vaccinated. We've got to get people to their primary care physicians. get them to go to Meijer CVS, Walgreens, wherever you can find it available, and finish the series. Get your second dose and or your first dose of J&J, a single dose vaccine. And, get it done so we can end this pandemic," says VanDyke. "But for the rest of our lives we're going to be able to tell our kids and our loved ones, that the most important thing that ever happened, in this building (DeVos Place) was a vaccine clinic, that ran for the first four months of 2021. And, it really changed the projection of the COVID-19 pandemic here in West Michigan, and even further outside than that. It really was a staple to our community. And so, what a historic event to be a part of; but, in no ways does this mean that we're over."
Spectrum will now focus on smaller, community based clinics. People can still use the Spectrum Health website, here. They don't have to be a Spectrum patient to sign up.
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