Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative to Open Walk-In Vaccine Clinics

Citing an increase in the supply of COVID-19 vaccine, the Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative has announced that this week it will begin offering walk-in vaccinations at its three large vaccine clinic sites across the county, while also continuing to provide registration for specific times through www.GetVaccinatedBerkshires.org.

The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative is made up of Berkshire Health Systems, the Berkshire County Boards of Health Association, Community Health Programs, the City of Pittsfield, Northern Berkshire EMS, and public health nurses in the region. It operates vaccination clinics at three locations: Berkshire Community College Field House in Pittsfield; WEB DuBois Elementary School in Great Barrington; and St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish Center in North Adams.

Although the supply of the COVID-19 vaccine had been constrained for the past few months due to limits on availability from the federal government, the flow of vaccine has recently improved, and the Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative expects to have a plentiful supply going forward.

“According to the most recent data from the State, more than 50% of our residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and almost 40% are fully vaccinated,” stated Darlene Rodowicz, Executive Vice President of Berkshire Health Systems, speaking on behalf of the collaborative. “We are excited to see this increase in vaccine supply, and we are optimistic that anyone and everyone who wants a vaccine will able to get one.”

“To increase accessibility and reduce barriers created by the State’s online registration system, the collaborative will now offer walk-in appointments at each of the three clinic locations on specific days,” said Laura Kittross, Manager, Berkshire County Boards of Health Association. “We know that folks have been frustrated, but we encourage everyone to try again.”

The Collaborative continues to conduct registration for the clinics through its website, www.GetVaccinatedBerkshires.org, which uses a registration program called PrepMod. PrepMod is not the pre-registration site being used now by the state of Massachusetts for its mass vaccination clinics, the nearest of which is in the Springfield area. Rodowicz explained, “Please remember that the Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative clinics are not mass vaccination sites. The state’s pre-registration system will not offer you an appointment at any of our local clinics. To get your shot here in the county, please register through www.GetVaccinatedBerkshires.org or stop by on the day of a walk-in clinic.”

Walk-In Vaccination Clinics will be held on:

• Great Barrington, WEB DuBois School: Wednesday, May 5th from 4 – 7pm – 300 Pfizer walk-in appointments
• North Adams, St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish Center: Thursday, May 6th from 12 to 5pm, 300 Pfizer walk-in appointments
• Pittsfield, Berkshire Community College Field House: Thursday, May 6th from 4 – 7pm, 300 Pfizer walk-in appointments 

Appointments will continue to be provided through www.getvaccinatedberkshires.org, in addition to the ability for people to walk-in for their vaccine. At this time the available vaccines are Pfizer and Moderna, both of which require two injections; for Pfizer 21 days after the first, and for Moderna 28 days after the first. Second dose appointments will be made at the time of the first dose administration.

The collaborative is partnering with local organizations to improve support for transportation to clinics and to help with registration. As new programs become available, the collaborative will make announcements on its website. For more information, please visit www.getvaccinatedberkshires.org