Hastings and Prince Edward Counties/March 25, 2022 

This week, representatives from Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) presented certificates of appreciation to local COVID-19 mass immunization sites that have been operating since March 2021. Staff representing immunization clinics operating in North Hastings (Bancroft Family Health Team and Quinte Health Care North Hastings Hospital), Picton (Prince Edward Family Health Team and the Corporation of the County of Prince Edward) and the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre (City of Belleville), were recognized for their invaluable contributions to the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, as HPEPH transitions to a longer term vaccination strategy.

“The support and dedication of our community partners made it possible to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines have been available throughout our extensive geographic region, as quickly and efficiently as possible,” says Dr. Ethan Toumishey, Medical Officer of Health and CEO at HPEPH. “Community partners have continuously adapted to meet the ever-changing needs of the vaccination rollout, and have worked tirelessly to help ensure essential protection through vaccination was made available to the community. These efforts have resulted in an 88% vaccination rate for adults in HPEC, and this protection continues to help reduce severe illness related to the virus in our region.”

HPEPH would also like to recognize contributions of other invaluable community partners who have contributed to the vaccination rollout over the past year, including the City of Quinte West, Township of Madoc, Loyalist College, and other Quinte Health Care sites. HPEPH will be presenting participating partners with a certificate of recognition in the coming weeks.

COVID-19 immunization clinics at the Prince Edward Community Centre and the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre will be closing at the end of March 2022. Vaccinations in these communities will continue to be delivered through pharmacies and smaller scale local clinics. This strategy will ensure resources are available to support regular public health programs and services, while continuing to offer COVID-19 vaccinations.

All eligible residents who have not yet received their complete vaccination series and booster (if applicable) are encouraged to take advantage of these clinics while they remain open for the rest of the month. Upcoming vaccination clinics will be posted at hpepublichealth.ca/vaccine-booking.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccine, visit hpePublicHealth.ca/covid-19-vaccines. If you still have questions about the vaccine after reviewing this information, please talk to your primary care provider.

Quotes for media use:

“The Bancroft Community Family Health Team welcomed the opportunity during the pandemic to work closely with our health care partners in delivering COVID vaccinations to our community. We are especially grateful to Quinte Health Care – North Hastings, HPEPH, and all the physicians, staff and volunteers that assisted with the clinics. A special thank you to the Royal Canadian Legion – Branch 181 that brought this collaboration together by providing the space.”
-Sandra McGrath, Executive Director, Bancroft Community Family Health Team

“We would like to thank our partners, the HPEPH Team and the Bancroft Community Family Health Team.  We also want to offer a huge thanks and recognition for all of the dedicated staff who came out of retirement to support these clinics, and those who were hired, or who took the time out of their existing work day to plan and operate these clinics. It was a tremendous amount of planning and work, but the satisfaction and rewards from seeing a job well done, and a community well served has been more than worth it.”
-Tammy Davis, QHC North Hastings Hospital Site Lead & Manager Patient Services

“The partnership between HPEPH, the Prince Edward Family Health Team and the municipality has been a model of community, collaboration and success. Working together, the partners helped thousands of residents of The County to access their vaccines close to home through the mass vaccination clinics and pop-ups throughout The County. As we wrap up this phase of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, I want to extend my sincere thanks to these partners, and also to the members of local service clubs, County staff and healthcare workers who volunteered countless hours to help run these community clinics”.
-Prince Edward County Mayor Steve Ferguson

“These initiatives have demonstrated incredible collaboration between HPEPH, the County of Prince Edward, Prince Edward Family Health Team, and Quinte Health Care as well as wonderful support from local service clubs and community members. It was through this unprecedented teamwork that the COVID-19 Assessment Centres and Vaccine Clinics were possible.”
-Dr. Sarah LeBlanc, Prince Edward Family Health Team

“It is collaboration such as this that makes our community so strong. I would like to thank the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre staff and HPEPH for working so well together to successfully create a safe and accessible vaccination clinic for our region.”
-City of Belleville Mayor Mitch Panciuk

Photos for media use:

• HPEPH presents certificate of recognition to City of Belleville Mayor and Staff – Left to right: Alisha Hanes – HPEPH Manager, Clinical Services, Dr. Ethan Toumishey – HPEPH MOH and CEO, Mitch Panciuk – Mayor City of Belleville, Patti Swoffer, HPEPH Public Health Nurse and Clinic Site Lead, Tracy Newton – City of Belleville Recreation, Culture and Community Services Marketing and Customer Services Coordinator, Peter Lyng – City of Belleville Recreation Culture and Community Services Acting Director
• HPEPH presents certificate of recognition to Bancroft Community Family Health Team (BCFHT) and QHC North Hastings Hospital – Front row with certificates L-R Sandra McGrath – Executive Director BCFHT, Shelly Brown – Director of Community Programs HPEPH, Tammy Davis, Hospital Site Lead and Manager Patient Services, QHC NH Hospital, are surrounded by BCFT and QHC clinic staff
• Representatives from the Prince Edward Family Health Team, the Corporation of the County of Prince Edward, Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation, Quinte Health Care, and Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation gather after certificates of recognition were presented by Dr. Ethan Toumishey, MOH and CEO HPEPH.

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Media Contacts:

Emily Tubbs, Communications Specialist
etubbs@hpeph.ca

About Hastings Prince Edward Public Health

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) is a public health agency that serves the counties of Hastings and Prince Edward from four local offices. HPEPH is situated and provides services on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Huron-Wendat and Haudenosaunee people. We monitor the health of our local population, deliver programs and services within our communities, and help develop healthy public policies. We provide information and support in many areas to help improve the health and well-being of our residents. Together with our communities, we help people become as healthy as they can be. For more information, please visit hpePublicHealth.ca. You can also find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

We invite community partners and residents to share this Media Release with their respective networks.