HUNTINGTON, Ind. (WANE) – Huntington County Community Schools Corporation (HCCSC) and Crestview Middle School are aware of concerns expressed by community members regarding Crestview’s selection to serve as a COVID-19 vaccination site.

On Dec. 3, 2018, HCCSC, Crestview and the Huntington County Health Department said they entered into a mass prophylaxis site agreement granting the Huntington County Health Department the ability to use Crestview’s facilities for activities relating to disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery according to Indiana Code 10-14-3-7. According to the agreement, a prophylaxis clinic is a site where prophylaxis is provided to a large number of citizens within a short time period in response to an emergency that involves an actual or imminent infectious disease threat.

The Huntington County Health Department has identified Crestview’s main gymnasium as a suitable facility for administering COVID-19 vaccinations, which are scheduled to begin at Crestview on Tuesday. The Huntington County Health Department said it is required to host its vaccination sites at a location that is handicap assessible and has heat, water, restroom facilities and internet access. Crestview’s main gymnasium was selected for use upon notice of the Huntington North High School fieldhouse not being available for use due to significant facility scheduling conflicts.

“The state has required us to identify sites that would function according to their guidelines,” said
Huntington County Health Department Interim Public Health Officer Matt Pflieger in a statement. “We have worked through a lot of different sites in Huntington County. In the end, it was determined the gym at Crestview would fit the need. It has an external entrance, ADA accommodations, very open space, clear barriers and doors as well as other appropriate site needs like parking, restrooms, etc. No person associated with the site will be mixing with or near students.”

Pflieger noted the Huntington County Health Department plans to vaccinate over 500 individuals next week, with that number rising in the following weeks.

The vaccination site will only be used for the groups eligible to receive the vaccine. The district said that no students will be given the vaccine. To view eligible groups, click here.

Anyone registered for the vaccine via the Our Shot website is asked to enter directly into the Crestview main gymnasium using external doors and will be screened upon arrival at the vaccination site, asked a series of questions, required to wear a mask and have no direct contact with students. A person will not be permitted to enter the Crestview main gymnasium if they have any COVID-19 symptoms, fail to pass the administered temperature check or if they have received an active diagnosis of COVID-19.

For the safety and security of Crestview and its students and staff, all individuals involved with the
vaccination site will be confined to the Crestview main gymnasium. The district said that no Crestview students or staff will have access to the main gymnasium while it is being used for vaccinations.

Huntington County Disaster Team Inc. will be at Crestview to help direct traffic into the parking lot for individuals to receive the vaccine and help direct individuals to the external main gymnasium entrance to keep individuals away from the main entrance of the school, the press release said. Law enforcement will also be present to ensure the safety and security of the vaccination site, Crestview staff and students.

The district said that a designated restroom will be available for the vaccination site and will not be available for use by Crestview students and staff. In addition, the Crestview main gymnasium operates on a different air handler that is not connected to the rest of the air handlers for Crestview. The Huntington County Health Department said it will be sanitizing each vaccination station after every use.

The Crestview main gymnasium will only be used as a vaccination site and will not be used as a COVID-19 testing site, the press release said.

“HCCSC’s primary focus is the safety and security of its students and staff. As such, the Crestview main gymnasium will not be used by the school at any time when it is being used for vaccinations. Crestview will use its auxiliary gymnasium, wrestling room and fitness room to accommodate for physical education classes during the school day,” the press release said.

The vaccination site will be used for several weeks. The schedule for vaccinations is currently fluid and subject to change. The district said that the primarily schedule is of Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. The vaccination schedule is coordinated by the Indiana State Department of Health and the Huntington County Health Department.

Any questions regarding the Crestview vaccination site can be directed to the Huntington County Health Department via phone at 260-358-4831.