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Vernon COVID-19 vaccine clinic geared toward anxious, disabled

Journal Inquirer - 8/5/2021

Aug. 5—VERNON — Plymouth resident Theresa Reardon said she was disheartened after two weeks of constant searching to find her 14-year-old son a safe environment in which to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Her son Connor has severe autism and an anxiety disorder that makes stressful situations "10 times worse" than they are for most people.

Reardon's fear, she said, was that Connor would end up "fighting off the person who was going to vaccinate him," a situation that she said could be dangerous for the vaccinator and her son. Although his pediatrician knows how to handle Connor's anxiety, that office didn't have any of the three COVID-19 vaccines available.

VACCINE CLINICS FOR THE DISABLED

WHERE: Vernon Senior Center, 135 Bolton Road.

ACCOMODATIONS: Dependent on needs of patients.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SIGN UP: https://www.vernon-ct.gov/covid-19/ctcdd-vaccine-clinics

After her time searching, Reardon said she was "elated" to discover that Vernon has begun offering clinics specifically geared for individuals with disabilities.

The town runs the clinics, which take place inside the Vernon Senior Center and are managed by Amy Watt, the assistant director of Parks and Recreation and an organizer of the town's traditional vaccination clinics that began in January. Watt said the process involves accommodating the needs of each individual, a process that begins by communicating with their guardians.

"We communicate a lot because each individual is different," she said. "Each appointment is very different."

A television set inside the vaccination room is turned on or off at the request of patients and their guardians, Watt said. When organizers set up the room for Connor on Wednesday afternoon, his favorite cartoon, Mickey Mouse, was playing.

"Just little things like that — we're hearing them," Watt said of the variety of special needs patients the clinic has encountered. "We found you, we're hearing you, and we're here to help you."

Connor also wanted to lie down while being inoculated, Watt said, so organizers set up a cot with a pillow for him. The lights were dimmed and the shades were down, which Watt said is a common way to keep anxious people comfortable and prevent them from being distracted.

In Connor's case, individuals from the state Department of Developmental Services, who are trained in how to safely restrain patients, were on the scene to help keep him still for the quick jab of the needle. Watt said parents organize such services with the state, and the town coordinates accordingly.

The town sets aside an hour for each appointment, Watt said, just in case things don't go according to plan.

"We leave enough time in case Plan A didn't work," she said. "We might have to go to a Plan B, and to give time between Plan A and B, they might need to get in their car, drive around, unwind, kind of decompress and recompose themselves and then come back."

But Connor's appointment was over in a few minutes, and although he was stressed when it began, Reardon said he was content as soon as the vaccination was over.

"We need more clinics like this, because I'm coming all the way from Terryville to get him a shot, and he cannot be the only child who needs help like this," Reardon said, adding that she thinks there will be a "huge surge" in disabled patients who require such services as age eligibility drops even further.

Watt said the Vernon clinic would continue offering appointments for disabled individuals who have trouble finding appointments.

"It's not that this group has not wanted the vaccine, it's just that they have not been able to get it," she said. It's finding those pockets of people to know that there is somebody who can help them."

For updates and coverage of Vernon and Stafford, follow Anthony Branciforte on Twitter: @ABranciforte_JI, Facebook: Reporter Anthony Branciforte, and Instagram: @JI_Anthony1.

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