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CORONAVIRUS

COVID-19

CHAS partners with Gonzaga to vaccinate its patients; Providence announces community clinic

Eiko Matsunaga receives her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Friday from WSU nursing student Jennifer Kabat at a Chas Health vaccination clinic set up in Gonzaga’s Martin Centre. (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
Eiko Matsunaga receives her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Friday from WSU nursing student Jennifer Kabat at a Chas Health vaccination clinic set up in Gonzaga’s Martin Centre. (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)Buy a print of this photo
By Arielle Dreher arielled@spokesman.com(509) 459-5467

Gonzaga University has offered space for CHAS Health to vaccinate its patients against COVID-19.

This clinic, located at Martin Centre, is not a walk-up clinic, and CHAS is actively scheduling appointments directly with patients who are eligible for the five-day clinic.

The quickly planned clinic at Gonzaga that started Friday is a result of CHAS receiving 8,700 Moderna vaccine doses this week from the federal government.

The Biden Administration directed vaccine manufacturers to send some doses directly to not only pharmacies nationwide but also some federally qualified health centers. CHAS was one of 25 centers selected for the initial distribution nationwide, said Kelley Charvet, chief administrative officer at CHAS.

“We weren’t anticipating receiving that much,” Charvet said. “It was more than we had even asked for.”

The large amount of first doses enabled CHAS to focus on getting doses to its patients who are 65 and older or 50 and older in multigenerational households.

The multiple clinics located countywide could not handle that quantity of vaccine, however. So CHAS called Gonzaga and asked for space and some volunteer-power early this week, in order to safely conduct a larger vaccine clinic.

The university was happy to host, University President Thayne McCulloh said.

William Peterson receives his first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from WSU pharmacy student Madi Kissinger at a Chas Health vaccination clinic set up in Gonzaga’s Martin Centre, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. CHAS Health is hosting COVID-19 vaccine clinics over the next few days for community members who qualify for the vaccine in Phase 1A and 1B under Washington State. As a federally qualified heath center, CHAS Health was chosen to receive a delivery of federal supply doses of COVID-19 vaccines to serve their patient population. This initial delivery was larger than could be managed through CHAS Health’s clinic locations without adversely impacting other patient care. CHAS Health reached out to Gonzaga University about the use of one of our large areas to efficiently and effectively distribute this vaccine to their patients while maintaining proper social distancing. (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
William Peterson receives his first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from WSU pharmacy student Madi Kissinger at a Chas Health vaccination clinic set up in Gonzaga’s Martin Centre, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. CHAS Health is hosting COVID-19 vaccine clinics over the next few days for community members who qualify for the vaccine in Phase 1A and 1B under Washington State. As a federally qualified heath center, CHAS Health was chosen to receive a delivery of federal supply doses of COVID-19 vaccines to serve their patient population. This initial delivery was larger than could be managed through CHAS Health’s clinic locations without adversely impacting other patient care. CHAS Health reached out to Gonzaga University about the use of one of our large areas to efficiently and effectively distribute this vaccine to their patients while maintaining proper social distancing. (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)Buy a print of this photo

“The idea of being part of trying to help support the effort to combat this virus in our community is really the dominant issue,” McCulloh said.

Gonzaga staff and students can volunteer at the site; however, only volunteers who are eligible to be vaccinated under Washington state’s current phase guidance might be able to get vaccinated.

Parking lots adjacent to the McCarthey Athletic Center and the Gonzaga Law School will be used to accommodate CHAS patients coming to get vaccinated.

CHAS is still signing up patients who are eligible to get vaccinated this weekend and through Tuesday at the Field House in Martin Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CHAS patients who are eligible to get vaccinated can call (509) 444-8200 to schedule a first-dose appointment.

CHAS, which recently handed operational control of the Spokane Arena mass vaccination site to the state Department of Health, has shifted its focus to offering COVID-19 vaccines to its own patients, although not through state supplies.

This week, few vaccine sites received first doses from the state.

The Gonzaga clinic is one of the few places offering first doses for patients in the Spokane County area.

Providence Health Spokane is offering 1,500 first-dose appointments early next week.

Providence is holding a three-day community vaccine clinic at the Spokane Teaching Health Clinic starting Monday and running through Wednesday.

Once patients take the PhaseFinder assessment, they can make an appointment for a first-dose at next week’s clinic.

Here’s a look at local numbers The Spokane Regional Health District confirmed 84 new cases on Friday. The health district also revised data on deaths of Spokane County residents, lowering the number it reported on Thursday from 583 to 579 on Friday.

There are 51 patients hospitalized in Spokane with COVID-19.

The Panhandle Health District confirmed 33 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and no additional deaths.

There are 20 Panhandle residents hospitalized with COVID-19 .

Arielle Dreher's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is primarily funded by the Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund, with additional support from Report for America and members of the Spokane community. These stories can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper’s managing editor.