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SALEM -- The city health board met in special emergency session Wednesday to hire reinforcements for COVID-19 vaccine clinics and to purchase equipment. "Hopefully by the end of the summer, we'll have a large part of the population vaccinated," city Health Commissioner Alanna Stainbrook said.
The city health department kicked off its vaccine clinics for people 80 years old and older this week and will continue next week, expanding to people 75 years and older, and continuing to expand in five-year increments each week until getting to 65 and older.
She noted that all that is dependent on the number of vaccine doses they receive.
She spoke behind closed doors with board members about personnel issues during the Zoom meeting, then in open session the board members approved several hirings.
The board hired the following as contract workers for less than 30 hours per week through Dec. 31: scheduler, $10 per hour; two clerical people, each $10 per hour; and contact tracer, $12.50 per hour.
The board also gave Stainbrook permission to hire a temporary nurse who will be on the city payroll working less than 30 hours per week for $17.50 per hour. She said the temporary nurse will assist with the vaccinations for COVID-19.
The cost of these employees will be covered through grants the department has received to assist with COVID-19 costs. She ran through the various grant sources: VN 21, $20,000, expires March 31; CT 21, $8,301, expires in June; Enhanced Operations, $34,066, expires July 2022; and CT 20, which was left over from last year, $7,000, expires December this year.
For equipment, the board gave her permission to check into purchasing a copier instead of paying a monthly fee and also purchasing an Automated External Defibrillator and equipment needed for an emergency crash cart, such as ambu bags, oxygen masks and an oxygen tank. She said they already have the needed medications.
The board had cancelled its regular monthly meeting, which would have been held Wednesday. The next regular meeting is set for 2 p.m. Feb. 17.
mgreier@salemnews.net