COVID-19 Vaccine Now Being Administered in Lincoln County

RUIDOSO, NM– January 5, 2021– The COVID-19 vaccine is available in Lincoln County and is being administered through Fusion Wellness in Ruidoso. Fusion Wellness is working in conjunction with the New  Mexico Department of Health NMDOH) in accordance with its tiered system. These efforts are being led by  Lt. Col. Stephen Rath, MD, DABA, FS, the owner of Fusion Wellness. 

“This is an historic, population-wide immunization effort,” stated Dr. Aja Sanzone, a top infectious disease expert leading New Mexico’s COVID-19 response. “We didn’t have many people in Lincoln County able to get vaccines in arms. Stephen did such an effective job at the beginning of our COVID response with  coordinating state-wide testing efforts that I immediately thought of him.”  

Over the past week, Dr. Rath and his team of volunteers have vaccinated approximately 900 people, starting with healthcare workers, first responders, and Lincoln County’s elderly and at-risk populations. Registration is open to all residents through the New Mexico Department of Health website. Anyone who wants to be vaccinated must sign up and register at the NMDOH COVID-19 Vaccine Registration website at  https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org/. 

“I know Aja Sanzone from my deployment with the National Guard, and she contacted me to see if I could help the NM Department of Health distribute vaccines in Lincoln County,” Dr. Rath explained. “In order to reach herd immunity, we’ll need to vaccinate 70% of the population. This is a big undertaking, and I am  happy to do whatever we can to get vaccines in arms.” 

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are being provided through the state to Fusion Wellness for distribution. As a  person becomes eligible to receive the vaccine, the state’s website will notify New Mexicans via email,  phone, or text that the vaccine is available and invite them to schedule an appointment. Dr. Rath hopes to vaccinate hundreds of Lincoln County residents each week. 

“We thought it was important enough to do this without any insurance reimbursement. The vaccines are provided free by the government, and we’re running on volunteer labor,” Rath says. “The faster we are able  to distribute the vaccine, the faster we can get the community opened up and the economy back on track.” 

Fusion Medical is one of the only sites in Lincoln County with the ultra-low temperature freezer capacity needed to store COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Rath is working closely with the Ruidoso Public Health Office and  NMDOH to register and distribute vaccines to all Lincoln County residents. Presbyterian’s Lincoln County  Medical Center has also vaccinated its staff. 

“We haven’t seen any negative reactions to the vaccine so far, just arm soreness and the occasional headache,” said Dr. Rath. “In addition, we have not lost or wasted a single dose of the first 900 vaccines that  we were given to distribute, and we are proud of that.” 

Sunday, an initial “wet run” vaccine clinic was conducted by Fusion to figure out the process of distribution.  Initially, the NMDOH set-up a code that was to be used by those that were receiving the vaccine. On Monday, the first vaccination clinic was held, and Fusion was able to successfully distribute all of the  vaccines that had been allotted to them 

“We offered the code to first responders, at-risk populations, and teachers in our school system here in  Ruidoso according to the tiered NMDOH system. We did have other individuals that got the code and registered to receive the vaccination,” said Dr. Rath. “We did not turn anyone away that came through our door with a registration from the NMDOH website. We got every last vaccine into an arm, which we feel is very important. Moving forward, it is my understanding that the NMDOH will not be using a ‘push’ system  such as a code but will be moving to a ‘pull’ system that will select vaccine candidates from those people who  have completed their registrations in the vaccine registration system.” 

To register for your vaccine, register at the NMDOH COVID-19 Vaccine Registration website at  https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org/. Anyone who is having problems getting registered or who does not have access to a computer or the internet can contact Village Hall at 575-802-5048 and a volunteer will assist you in getting your record set-up. 

NM Department of Health Contact: Aja Sanzone (505) 629-2375 Aja.Sanzone@state.nm.us

Fusion Wellness Contact: Stephen Rath (575) 257-4772/(855) 257-4772