JBS Canada says it would welcome vaccine clinic at Brooks plant

By COLLIN GALLANT on April 9, 2021.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

JBS Canada says it would support and host a vaccine clinic at its beef processing plant in Brooks, the News has learned, similar to one being set up at the Cargill meat processing facility in High River.

Alberta Health Services announced Thursday it was working with Cargill to have an on-site clinic and create other scheduling programs to ease the process of administering vaccines when beef plant workers are priorities in the next phase of the vaccine rollout.

Cargill, as well as the JBS plant in Brooks, were the scenes of major outbreaks last summer, and health officials included workers in Phase 2C of the rollout.

JBS officials told the News this week they have been successful hosting clinics at its U.S. facilities and would help health officials in Canada.

“JBS Foods Canada stands ready to facilitate an onsite vaccination clinic for our more than 2,500 team members in Brooks as soon as vaccines are made available.,” reads a statement from the company. “Our company has had great success in conducting such clinics in the United States. For example, in Greeley, Colo., we recently vaccinated nearly 4,100 team members in one day at our beef processing facility and today, nearly half of our U.S. workforce has been vaccinated.”

Phase 2C is set to open in April and May in Alberta. In January, JBS said it would expand a U.S. program of offering a $100 bonus to its employees as an enticement to get vaccinated.

The clinic in High River will be paid for by Cargill and is being arranged with the help of three primary care networks in that area.

“We are confident that the government understands a consistent, equitable vaccination rollout for all Alberta meat processors is in the best interests of essential food workers, consumers, our communities and all Albertans,” the statement from JBS reads.

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