Oswego County’s “Volunteer of the Week” Is Pastor Andrew Hinman

This week’s honoree is Pastor Andrew Hinman. He is pictured here providing seating direction at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic the County Health Department recently held at Oswego High School for students aged 12 and older and members of the public. Photo courtesy of Sonia Robinson, Oswego County Health Department.

OSWEGO COUNTY – Oswego County continues to honor its volunteers in the battle against COVID-19. Pastor Andrew Hinman helped the County’s health department with ‘flow control’ at various vaccination clinics.

“The County’s vaccination clinics are some of the critical operations that strengthened the community’s effort to fight this virus,” said Danielle Carlone, public health sanitarian for the Oswego County Health Department. “There are many jobs for people to do, and one of the most crucial positions to ensuring a smooth clinic is that of ‘flow control,’ or guiding the public through the various stages of the clinic.”

‘Flow control’ volunteers help guide participants through the check-in process, get them seated and ready for their shot, and sometimes even stand outside – in often unpredictable weather conditions – to greet people and point them in the right direction.

Hinman is a pastor for Faith United Church in Oswego and Bristol Hill UCC in Volney. He is also a board member for the Child Advocacy Center. He has participated in vaccination clinics at G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton, Central Square Intermediate School, SUNY Oswego and Oswego High School.

Pastor Hinman was ready to step up and help his community in this time of crisis.

“I knew there was a need to help out and that I could advocate for people to get vaccinated,” he said. “We are bettering our community by providing programs that will benefit the overall mental and physical health of our residents.”

When asked about his volunteer experience, Pastor Himan said, “From the beginning, it was just so joyful to see people coming out to get vaccinated and then watching their beaming smiles afterwards. It was wonderful to see the interaction and socialization of people, especially after being essentially quarantined for the last year.”

Carlone said, “Pastor Hinman and our other ‘flow control’ staff volunteered to work through both the extremely cold, windy and snowy weather, as well as the bright, sunny days of the vaccine clinics. They are truly prepared for anything.”

The Oswego County Health Department is thankful for the many generous and talented volunteers that have come out to prove that “we are all in this together.” Their support has helped the department’s critical operations run as smoothly as they have. Volunteers have participated in vaccination clinics, answered phones and questions on the Oswego County COVID-19 Hotline, made homemade masks for the community, and many other helpful tasks.

The Health Department continues to recruit both medical and non-medical volunteers for upcoming COVID-19 vaccination and testing clinics.

Non-medical volunteers are needed to register and screen people who are being vaccinated, manage flow control, and help with other activities. People with a medical background can help with COVID-19 vaccinations and testing. They can monitor patients and provide emergency medical assistance.

“A mass vaccination clinic is a big undertaking, and we rely on support from many volunteers and partner agencies in addition to our own Health Department staff,” said Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang. “The clinics have been running very smoothly, but we can always use more people to help with the many steps required to deliver the vaccine.”

Those interested can fill out a form on the county’s COVID-19 page and provide information about their availability, areas of interest and related information. Those with a medical background must also provide information about their medical license or CPR certification.

The application form is posted on the health department’s COVID-19 page at https://health.oswegocounty.com/information/2019_novel_coronavirus/medical_volunteering.php

For more information, go to the Oswego County Health Department’s COVID-19 page at health.oswegocounty.com/covid-19 or call its COVID-19 hotline at 315-349-3330. Phone lines are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Under New York State Public Health Law, the Oswego County Health Department is the local public health authority regarding the COVID-19 pandemic response within the County of Oswego. The Oswego County Health Department works closely with New York State Department of Health regarding COVID-19 monitoring, response and reporting.

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