Bella Vista community paramedics vaccinated more than 800 individuals against COVID-19 at Riordan Hall last week.
Mayor Peter Christie said he was very pleased with the clinic, which was planned over the weekend when the city got a chance to help Northwest Health distribute vaccines.
The city was able to do this because of its community paramedic program, he said.
"It all came together," he said. "This is Bella Vista, this is what we do. We help each other."
Battalion chief Ronnie Crupper explained that this effort was a partnership among several parties, with the fire department and Central EMS community paramedics working together in a space provided by the POA and high school students volunteering to help with registration.
Patients typically waited 10-15 minutes, he added, noting that actually getting vaccines was the hardest part of putting this clinic together.
"It's really been smooth," he said. "Everybody's been doing a really good job."
It's good to get these vaccines out to help build immunity and most patients who received their vaccine are over 70 or otherwise in a high-risk group, Crupper said.
After getting the first injection of the Pfizer vaccine, patients will need to return in three weeks to get a second injection -- which the city has been guaranteed to receive -- to complete the vaccine, he explained.
The city may try to do additional clinics, but it's hard to say for certain if it will be able to get any additional doses, he added.
Anyone who would like to be notified of additional vaccination opportunities should opt into the city's text message alerting system, he said.
A signup form for the message system can be found at https://www.bellavistaar.gov/i_want_to/textsignup.php.
Among those who got vaccinated last week was Bella Vista resident Sharon Slavik.
Slavik said she heard about the clinic from her daughter.
She's excited to get the vaccine completed, she said, and hopes this is the beginning of the end for this pandemic.
"I'll be glad to get back to a semblance of normal," she said.
