The mass vaccination clinic in St. Catharines, known for its colourful sticky notes, has closed.
Niagara Health has closed the clinic at the Seymour-Hannah arena, and will open a smaller vaccination clinic at the St. Catharines hospital tomorrow.
The Seymour-Hannah clinic opened in mid-February, giving officials more space to immunize more than 1,000 people per day.
The clinic team fine-tuned the operations, and reached more than 2,600 daily doses on July 15th.
The last shot was given out at the arena yesterday afternoon, and staff members started to take the sticky notes down.
Executive Vice President at Niagara Health, Linda Boich, says the Seymour-Hannah vaccination clinic has been a special place with thousands of people expressing their feelings on what getting vaccinated has meant to them on colourful sticky notes that line the walls of the arena.
She says in addition to photographs and video footage of the clinic at various stages, Niagara Health will also be creating some art pieces using the sticky notes and will likely donate some of the notes to academic institutions and museums.
The entrance to the new vaccine clinic, which is designed to immunize 200 people per day, is behind the Walker Family Cancer Centre with a dedicated entrance off First Street Louth.
Parking in the area is free for those coming to get vaccinated.
Officials were at the Seymour-Hannah arena yesterday thanking staff, physicians and partners on its final day of operation.
“So many people have been involved in the success of this vaccination clinic,” says Lynn Guerriero, President and CEO at Niagara Health. “I’m very proud of our staff and physicians for working so hard to care for our patients and loved ones at the clinic and in the hospital during these challenging times.
“I’d also like to thank our partners for all they have done in our work together to vaccinate Niagara and also to make this such a special place in the community. There are thousands of sticky notes lining the arena walls, and reading our patients’ messages about what getting vaccinated means to them is so powerful.”