PHARR-SAN JUAN-ALAMO ISD staff say prior readiness aided mass vaccination work

A staff member described how PHARR-SAN JUAN-ALAMO ISD's regular emergency readiness exercises positioned the district to operate large COVID-19 mass vaccination sites. "It was a readiness exercise," the staff member said, adding that the practice had a "huge impact" on the district's ability to respond.

The staff member said the exercises previously simulated intake of about 1,000 clients a day and roughly 5,000 patients per week, figures the district used to build and test operational capacity. "We used to take in about 1,000 clients' patients a day for this event ... so we're talking about 5,000 patients that we would see every week," the staff member said.

According to the speaker, much of the operational work in those drills was performed by district personnel: "a lot of it was PHARR-SAN JUAN-ALAMO ISD staff that was on board, ready to assist, willing to help." The staff member said other agencies provided help but emphasized the district's internal capacity and the value of iterative improvement: "And every year, we tried to make it better."

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the staff member said the district put that preparation to use by setting up mass vaccination sites. "When COVID did happen, we were ready," the speaker said, noting the district took in "about 4,000 patients a day" on its busiest vaccination days.

No motions, votes, or formal actions were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. The remarks recorded here consist of a description of past preparedness exercises and operational experience during the pandemic.