How the North Toronto community united to administer COVID-19 vaccines

On the afternoon of Tuesday, June 28 at North Toronto’s Baycrest Park, steps away from Baycrest Arena, volunteers, healthcare providers, and administrators of the Englemount-Lawrence Vaccination Clinic (ELVC) gathered to celebrate and reflect on the experience that brought over 20 organizations together to help protect their community from the spread of COVID-19.

Just over a year earlier, the COVID-19 landscape was very different, with vaccine doses newly released to the public. Each neighbourhood posed its own set of unique challenges, and vaccination teams had to adjust swiftly to ever-evolving policies around the vaccination process.

“In the face of several challenges, we came together as a team to vaccinate our community,” said Jagger Smith, Director of Ambulatory Clinical Services at Baycrest Health Sciences. “We delivered highly successful collaborative care at the ELVC, and that deserves to be acknowledged.”

Baycrest was charged with coordinating and leading clinic operations, along with the member organizations of the North Toronto Ontario Health Team (NT OHT).

Across the City of Toronto, healthcare and community partners rallied together to create an easily accessible and seamless experience for clinic patients, especially those from marginalized and vulnerable communities. Participation was broad throughout the clinic, including approximately 200 physicians, 60 representatives from Red Cross, 100 staff and leaders from NT OHT partners and 100 contributors from collaborators like North York Community House, Toronto Community Housing, and Liberty Pharmacy.

Together, they administered over 29,000 doses during the ELVC’s months of operation.

The ELVC appreciation picnic gave NT OHT co-leaders Stacy Landau (SPRINT Senior Care CEO), Dr. Dan Cass (Sunnybrook Health Science Centre EVP and CME) and Scott Ovenden (Baycrest Hospital President and CEO), the opportunity to present certificates of appreciation to the contributors on behalf of the NT OHT and Baycrest.

Gail Gordon, a site manager for Red Cross, recalls how volunteers from across the city came to assist with clinic operations. OR surgeons and community family doctors—with cancelled procedures and appointments—pivoted to administer vaccine doses at the clinic. SPRINT Senior Care was readily available to provide transportation services for elderly residents. Raquel Heayn (a volunteer coordinator with Reena at the time) drove members to and from Reena and the ELVC.

Bryce Watson and Emmanuel Kiplimo from Paladin Security provided security services at the clinic; they would often arrive to community members gathered outside the clinic before it opened, eager to receive their first or second dose of the vaccine.

“It was overwhelming sometimes,” Emmanuel acknowledged. “We were the first point of contact to everyone arriving at the clinic. There were always many questions, and we were the people the community encountered first.”

“We would seek advice from the health professionals, and make sure we were communicating the right information at all times,” Bryce added. “We knew how important the vaccine was to people, so we had to do our best to keep everyone calm and help the process move smoothly.”

Oiffer received a call from the Canadian Red Cross requesting her volunteer services less than 24 hours after she got the first dose of the vaccine herself. Mindy became a familiar voice, a welcoming face, and another committed contributor to the ELVC mission to vaccinate as many community members as safely and efficiently as possible.

Excited to reunite with the leaders, staff, and other healthcare and community workers at the ELVC, Mindy and Emmanuel reminisced about the days they spent together at the clinic.

In addition to being a memorable experience for all participants, the main objective of the ELVC—protecting the community—was clearly achieved, with over 29,000 doses administered during the ELVC’s months of operation.

“The reunion gave us a moment to appreciate the connections we made to each other as contributors to the ELVC, as well as to the people we served,” said Jagger Smith. “Seeing one another again, e-mailing with those who could not attend, and hearing a thank you from a passer-by in the park during the picnic really brought home the importance of the work we achieved together.”

In a sunny Baycrest Park, overlooking the arena, the ELVC reunion was an afternoon to feel the joy of accomplishment and professional collaboration, and to celebrate what was possible during challenging times.

The NT OHT thanks all who were involved in the ELVC for their critical work in helping to protect our community against COVID-19.

With contributions from Kimberly Taylor, Baycrest Health Sciences.