to pace themselves as they conducted mostly outdoor efforts—crowd control, intake measures, traffic management and wheelchair assistance, especially in cold weather. "We’re often reminded that it's a marathon, not a sprint," Brodeur said about the effort, which inoculated more than 80,000 between the two sites in the first three weeks. “As Coast Guard members, we’ve told ourselves that while it's not a 45[-foot response boat] or a helicopter, we're still saving lives, one recipient at a time." Oklahoma City Each of the locations is managed, staffed, and employed in different ways. In Oklahoma City, deployed Coast Guard reservists experienced a different setup and localized need. Ensign Tom Coleman, a 14-year mustang from Sector Ohio Valley, got the call for his first deployment as an officer, leading a team of six—the majority of whom were from Sector Mobile, Ala. As a program manager for a product engineering department, he made a few quick phone calls and reported to the site in Oklahoma City within 36 hours. Coleman and his team, with over 90 years of Coast Guard experience among them, worked with the Oklahoma State Department of Health (immunizations division) to identify the needs of the state and how the team could best support. “My team is very seasoned, highly motivated and wants to help out,” said Coleman. They work with the DoH to assess sites of potential vaccine providers throughout the state. Pairs of Coast Guardsmen travel to distances a few hours away to run through a checklist. “It’s a good thing we’re central; we can get to anywhere in the state within about three hours. We make sure they have all the proper equipment: refrigeration, temperature control devices, and documentation,” said Coleman. “If we find that a site does not meet requirements per CDC guidelines, we work with them to get them up to speed.” On the weekends, the team works shifts at POD (point of distribution) events where they help facilitate day-long vaccination efforts at places like convention centers, local college campuses or local arenas. “We help with anything from registering vaccine recipients to directing traffic, preventing any log jams in the process,” said Coleman. He said people are occasionally surprised to see the blue suits as part of the clinics. The team ended up contacting the local Coast Guard recruiting office to make use of the unit’s workstations occasionally, and he was given a few business cards to hand out on his travels. “There’s not a huge Coast Guard presence in Oklahoma,” said Coleman, “but we’re out making relationships all over the state.” Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristin Matuska, a reservist at Coast Guard Station New York, assists residents at a FEMA COVID-19 vaccination site in Brooklyn, New York, March 2. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cory J. Mendenhall Issue 1 • 2021 � RESERVIST 23
