MISSION — The Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center is hosting a mass vaccination clinic on Tuesday, Feb. 23, and Wednesday, Feb. 24, according to a Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation press release.

The health clinic has received 975 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from the Indian Health Service to put on a mass vaccination clinic. The Oregon National Guard will assist with administration of the vaccines.

Vaccinations will be provided to enrolled members of the CTUIR who are 16 and over, employees of all CTUIR entities, including the Tribal government, Wildhorse Resort & Casino, Cayuse Holdings, Hamley’s and Birch Creek Golf Course. Additionally, all residents of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, family members of CTUIR employees who reside in the same household and vendors and contractors who do work for CTUIR entities are eligible to be vaccinated.

“We are so proud to be able to vaccinate nearly 1,000 more people in our region,” said CTUIR Board of Trustees Chair Kat Brigham. “IHS provided us with resources to go beyond our members and vaccinate our employees, Reservation residents and our employees’ families. We are ready.”

CTUIR is a part the Oregon Emergency Response System, which coordinates state resources in response to emergencies involving multi-jurisdictional cooperation. In response to a request for support for this mass vaccination event, the state has deployed 18 members of the Oregon National Guard to help administer the vaccines.

“With the help of Oregon National Guard medical personnel we will be able to ramp up vaccinations beyond our own patient list,” said Yellowhawk Chief Executive Officer Lisa Guzman. “This is such an important tool in fighting the virus. By the end of March we will have vaccinated more than 2,000 people.”

This vaccine is provided to patients in two doses. Doses are given 21 days apart. The second dose or booster vaccine will be provided by appointment in March.

Prior to the mass vaccination event, Yellowhawk vaccinated more than 1,000 individuals, including CTUIR Tribal members, health care workers and first responders, starting in December 2020.