Karen Mazzola had tears in her eyes when she administered Thundermist Health Center’s first COVID-19 vaccine shot late last year.
“I was just overwhelmed with the feeling that this could be the beginning of the end” of the pandemic, said Mazzola, the Woonsocket center’s associate vice president of nursing. “In my whole career, I have never had a feeling like that come over me.”
Months later, the process of administering vaccinations continues at Thundermist, and the effort is getting a big boost from the $1.9 trillion federal coronavirus relief package approved by a divided Congress in March. Thundermist and seven other Rhode Island community health centers are receiving a combined $33.5 million to aid the fight against COVID-19 in underserved communities.
The relief package, called the American Rescue Plan, earmarked $6 billion for 1,400 U.S. community health centers – nonprofit facilities that typically provide health care to uninsured, underinsured and low-income patients.
Thundermist is set to receive $8.4 million, money that will go toward hiring additional staff members, purchasing supplies, equipment, COVID-19 test kits and vaccine doses. The health center has been administering about 2,000 vaccine shots a week at sites in South Kingstown, West Warwick and Woonsocket.
“Having the vaccine is a bright light in our day, and being able to deliver that vaccine, knowing that we have just given a person a chance against COVID-19,” Mazzola said.
‘COVID has really hurt us. So, it is a nice lifeboat.’
RAYMOND LAVOIE, Blackstone Valley Community Healthcare Inc. executive director
Community health centers have played a crucial role during the coronavirus crisis, providing testing and inoculations, as well as more-routine care, for people with limited access to health services.
It’s been a struggle for some centers.
Raymond Lavoie, executive director for Blackstone Valley Community Healthcare Inc., said the funds are a “lifeboat” for the Pawtucket-based facility, which opened a three-story, 47,000-square-foot “health station” in Central Falls in 2019. The health station hasn’t been used to its full capacity because of the pandemic.
“We completed a brand-new $16 million facility in Central Falls, for which we have a mortgage,” Lavoie said. “COVID has really hurt us. So, it is a nice lifeboat. It gives us some room to breathe. But long term, we have to get our visits back up in order to survive.”
Sandra Pardus, associate director and chief financial officer at Blackstone Valley, said the health center has a $27 million annual budget, but the center has been losing money every month because many patients have stayed away during the crisis.
“Our costs have increased, and we are still not completely able to be up to capacity – particularly in our dental area – due to safety reasons,” she said.
The $4 million the center is set to receive from the American Rescue Plan will help keep services going.
The other Rhode Island community health centers that will receive money from the relief package include:
Providence Community Health Centers Inc., $9.7 million; Comprehensive Community Action Program in Cranston, $3 million; Northwest Community Health Care in Burrillville, $2.8 million; East Bay Community Action Program in East Providence, Newport and Warren, $2.4 million; Tri-County Community Action Agency in Johnston, $1.6 million; and Wood River Health Services Inc. in Hopkinton, $1.4 million.
Blackstone Valley Community Health Care treats patients in two communities hit hard by COVID-19 – Pawtucket and Central Falls – but the arrival of the vaccine hasn’t ended the struggle, according to Dr. Cristina Pacheco, the center’s chief medical officer.
“Central Falls was the first community to be given any vaccine supply, and I think the population, in general, was a little reluctant to get vaccinated,” she said.
Even as people have grown more comfortable with the idea of being vaccinated, the center is still dealing with the nuances of running a vaccination program – ordering the right amount of vaccine, scheduling staff, storing supplies properly and getting 120 doses of the vaccine per day into patients’ arms.
“There are a lot of pieces involved,” Pacheco said.
Dennis Roy, CEO and president of East Bay Community Action Program, said $2.4 million in funding will allow the health center to continue serving its 11,000 patients while administering COVID-19 testing and vaccines. The organization sees 30,000 patients a year and offers an array of health services.
“We were glad to receive the funding,” said Roy, who noted that about 3,500 of the center’s patients have been vaccinated. “It was a good – pardon the pun – shot in the arm for the health center at a time when it was really needed.”
In the early months of the pandemic, Roy was worried East Bay Community Action Program was going to have to close. Many staff members were forced to quarantine. “I didn’t know what was going to happen,” he said.
The funding will allow the facility to hire additional staff, and purchase supplies and equipment at its sites in East Providence, Newport and Warren.
“It will help us weather the storm. It’s a great opportunity for us to continue on the front line fighting this horrible pandemic,” said Roy. “It also allows us to accelerate our testing. We’re trying to average 1,000 to 1,500 tests a week.
“I’m confident we will remain open and survive this [pandemic],” he added. “We learned a lot about things, [such as] telemedicine. It’s a real testament to our staff – I think we’re going to get through this.”
Cassius Shuman is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Shuman@PBN.com.