APPLETON (NBC 26) — The Boldt Company, a construction management firm based in Appleton, has begun creating prefabricated buildings to help the healthcare industry administer COVID-19 vaccines more quickly.
Representatives at the Boldt Company recently teamed up with Boulder Associates to create the buildings known as a VaxMod, modular units designed to be deployed to any location as an alternative to traditional vaccination clinics which are in use today.
The VaxMods are designed to conduct rapid deployment of COVID-19 vaccines in both a drive-thru and walk-in setting. It's estimated that 27 healthcare workers could operate out of the VaxMods at a time, administering as many as 1,100 vaccinations over the course of an 8-hour shift. By Boldt's estimates they believe they could deliver 39 percent more vaccinations an hour, with 7 percent fewer staff members, than the CDC's "model vaccination clinics" are capable of.
"It's just really looking to streamline that process so people can get in and out as quickly as possible," says Will Lichtig the Executive Vice President of Performance and Innovation at the Boldt Company.
Lichtig says he anticipates healthcare organizations and even retail pharmacies to begin putting the VaxMods into use. He adds that this could create not just more work for the Appleton based company, but it could also potentially create jobs in the future.
"70 percent of the labor that would typically be expended outside is moved back into the factory. So this does afford the opportunity to create well-paying jobs here in Wisconsin."
VaxMod, units according to Lichtig, are also designed to be used even after COVID-19 vaccinations have all been administered. Lichtig says that while it may be sometime before that happens, he anticipates healthcare facilities using the units in the future for Flu vaccination clinics as well.
"By using this type of a facility we'll provide a long-term solution for healthcare companies not just an emergency solution," says Lichtig.
