“Vaccine Walk in Clinic at Fort Stanton was a CLUSTER F$%#”

“Dear PoPville,

This is what happened to me yesterday:

First and foremost I am grateful that DOH and the District have organized free walk-in clinics for the Covid Vaccines and Boosters. However, the situation I experienced today at the Fort Stanton site was unorganized and unprofessional.

While it’s fine that the nurse may need to leave the room or go on break, this information was not conveyed to those of us waiting in the room nor to anyone in the hallway. After a 15-20 minute pause from administering the vaccines, a female security guard entered the room and began to call the woman seated in seat #1. Normally this would make sense but right before the break, the individuals in Seats 1 & 2 had received their shots – leaving me in Seat 3 to be next.

Two people in the room tried to explain the situation to the guard. Other than handling the situation professionally, the guard accused us of being dishonest and of fighting “while mom was out of the room.”

This was not the case and approximately 15 minutes of our time was wasted on explaining how short staffed the site was, how she was stepping up to make photocopies or how those who were elderly or handicap needed priority. Meanwhile, three individuals who appeared to be staff sat there watching this all unfold whenever they glimpsed up from their cell phones or laptops.

At one point, I offered my spot to a woman who needed to leave to pick her children up from school. Instead of letting her go, the nurse decided to pick a man from the group who had complained the loudest thus we both lost our turn while the guard continued her not helpful monologue about our childish behavior. Then, the woman who needed to leave got a 5 minute lecture about how this site was “walk up and not appointment” from the nurse. Breaks need to happen, I get it, but perhaps announcing to the room what was happening would have lessened the confusion.

My three experiences at Lamond Riggs for both myself and my son were extremely well organized. Perhaps Fort Stanton could receive training from that location? Additionally it makes sense for the city to open a Covid Clinic in every Wards as the Omicron variant begins to make its way to our region.

Again I am truly grateful for this site and for the vaccine but I do not appreciate being treated like a child or having my time wasted. All together with traffic getting to the site and the lectures, it took me four hours to get my booster shot.”