Breaking records and setting the sights high for local seniors
On a brisk Saturday in February, the liveliest place in Lake County, Illinois was a typically vacant expo center at the county fairgrounds.
This building, which also serves as a winter home for tractors and boats, has a new off-season day job: COVID-19 vaccine drive-thru clinic.
About 50 AbbVie volunteers bustled around the center, the first day the company provided volunteers to the clinic run by the Lake County Health Department. With a goal to beat the record of 1,000 doses delivered in a day at this location – a task achieved by 3 p.m. – every volunteer played a critical role, from data entry and traffic control to mixing and administering the vaccine.
These opportunities are part of AbbVie’s broader commitment to supporting vaccine efforts in local communities around its headquarters, including launching a temporary vaccination clinic at the Greenbelt Cultural Center to vaccinate North Chicago and Waukegan seniors over 65 years old, a high-risk population. In partnership with local nonprofits, such as North Chicago Community Partners and the United Way of Lake County, and the cities of North Chicago and Waukegan, the aim of the senior clinic is to vaccinate every eligible person in these underserved communities, an anticipated 5,000+ people.