Mohegan Sun opens mass COVID-19 vaccine clinic at its expo center

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, the Mohegan Tribe, and Yale New Haven Health System have launched a mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Mohegan Sun.

The clinic first opened Friday at the Mohegan Sun Earth Expo and Convention Center. It will operate on an appointment-only basis, and is available for Connecticut residents.

On the first day of operations, the clinic was expected to serve up to 300 residents with the ability to increase vaccine distribution based on availability, according to an official press release from the government. Additional appointments will be added regularly as more supply of the vaccine becomes available by the federal government. 

"There's definitely a need in this area and there aren't really any other sites available, so this will open up with 300 tomorrow and ramping up to 600 to 1,000 each day when we are open," Dr. Kevin Torres, an emergency department doctor at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, said ahead of the opening, WFSB reports.

“This latest mass vaccination site shows the coordinated effort our state is making with our tribal partners, and our partners in healthcare,” Lamont said. “The Mohegan Tribe has taken incredible steps throughout the pandemic to keep its members and residents safe through standing up testing sites, the distribution of PPE, and coordination with the Connecticut Department of Public Health. We will get through this pandemic by working together, especially in vaccine distribution, and that’s exactly what this site represents.”

“The Mohegan Tribe has a long-held philosophy of cooperation and working together with our neighbors, and throughout this pandemic we have practiced those values each and every day,” said James Gessner, chairman of the Mohegan Tribe. “Whether it meant temporarily shutting down operations entirely, installing new state-of-the-art safety technology, distributing PPE to healthcare partners, or helping provide community COVID testing, Mohegan is working hard to help Connecticut manage this crisis. Now, the next step in that work will be serving as a hub in southeastern Connecticut for the state’s vaccination efforts. We are proud to continue to help serve our community, and eager to help Connecticut get as many state residents vaccinated as quickly as possible.”

“We are excited to provide more COVID-19 vaccinations to the residents in southeastern Connecticut,” added Patrick Green, president and CEO of L+M Healthcare. “The Mohegan Sun community vaccine site is yet another extension of the remarkable partnership between our organizations to prioritize the health and wellness of the communities we serve. Our teams have been working around the clock to streamline the vaccination process to accommodate as many people as we can. It is a privilege to be in a position where we can open another community vaccination site along with our Mohegan colleagues.”