Region 1- Since the March 17 opening of the joint state-federal Downtown Providence Community Vaccination Center, more than 110,000 vaccinations have been given to Rhode Island residents. On May 29th the leadership and operations of the Dunkin Donuts Center will transition to State contracted staff. This transition of staff will ensure Rhode Island will have available resources to continue supporting their vaccination plans.
“The vaccination site at The Dunk has been enormously successful,” says Rhode Island Emergency Management Director Marc Pappas. “Rhode Islanders showed up, rolled up their sleeves, and got vaccinated. We now rank in the top five for states with 70% of the population vaccinated. We couldn’t have done it without FEMA and all the federal employees from all over the country who came here to help. We are very grateful to FEMA and all the federal employees for staffing the site and coordinating with the state for the good of all.”
Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee says, “We would not have been able to reach 70% of eligible Rhode Islanders with at least one dose and more than 50% of the Rhode Island population fully vaccinated without FEMA, RING, national partnerships, and local collaborations. Thank you to each and every individual who has brought their expertise and passion to the Ocean State’s vaccination efforts.”
Since the Center’s opening, it has been supported by over 125 personnel from the following federal agencies: FEMA, US Dept. of Agriculture, US Forestry Service, Dept. of Homeland Security, Public Health Services, Veteran’s Administration, Dept of Health and Human Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, US Secret Service, US Citizen and Immigration Services, US Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, along with locally hired staff and FEMA Corps members. During the operation’s peak, the staff administered nearly 3,700 vaccines a day.
While FEMA is no longer needed at the Dunkin Donuts Center, the work to vaccinate all individuals in America who want a vaccine is not over. Many of the local staff hired by FEMA to support vaccination efforts in Rhode Island will transition to the Vaccination Center on Sockanosset Street in Cranston along with FEMA Corp members.
So far more than 70 % of the state’s population has received at least one dose of the vaccine and ranks fifth among all 50 states in the number of vaccinations given to their state residents.
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