Mass vaccination clinics planned for Indigenous age 55+ in Greater Sudbury

Mass vaccination clinics will be held later this week for Indigenous residents in Greater Sudbury who are age 55 or older.

The two-day clinics are being planned by the Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre (SKHC) and Public Health Sudbury and Districts.

As part of Ontario's prioritization for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, the Indigenous population is recognized as a priority population, and falls within Phase 1 of the rollout.

The clinics will be held at the Carmichael Arena on Bancroft Drive, and are only for those age 55 or older who identify as urban Indigenous in the City of Greater Sudbury.

Across Canada 80 per cent of Indigenous populations reside in urban settings.

"We've identified approximately close to 20,000 people that reside in the city, and we've taken the guidelines very seriously, and will be focused on 55 and over of the Indigenous population," said Angela Recollet, E-niigaanzid/CEO of SKHC.

"They will be required to provide proof of age as they do their call-in registration to book their appointment," she said.

A call centre has been set up to book those appointments ahead of theclinics.

"We can anticipate that there may be several that just walk-in, and we will do our best to service everybody that shows up at our door, in those three days," Recollet said.

The SKHCplanning team watched how Public Health Sudbury and Districts rolled out the mass vaccination clinics last week for local health care workers.

"We had our team go and experience and witness the flow through," Recollet said.

"We've already set up with all of the planning team so that it is a very smooth coordinated process; People are in and out of there with their vaccines in approximately a half an hour."

Along with urban Indigenous in Greater Sudbury, SKHC provides health care services to Henvey Inlet First Nation, MagnetawanFirst Nation and Wahnapitae First Nation.

"The Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre services three of the First Nations and their community members, so any of their clients that meet that [vaccine distribution] criteria will have access to the clinic," Recollet said.

Vaccinations within those respective communities however are being planned by the First Nations and their nearby health unit.

Priority population

Recollet says there are big reasons why the Indigenous population is recognized as a priority population for COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Ontario.

Long before COVID-19, there have been compromising health and social conditions for Indigenous peoples all across the country that have put them at risk, including access to equitable health care, housing andclean water.

"But because of this virus and the pandemic we're in, this population has been named that high risk population ensuring that we get access to the vaccine."