Jeans may no longer be for sale at the old VF Outlet on Faunce Corner Road, but patrons are once again flocking to the building. Instead of deals on clothes, those inside got a different bargain: a free vaccine.  

On Feb. 9, Southcoast Health began the first of many clinics in Dartmouth as part of the state’s second phase of vaccinations.

Freetown resident Ruth Ferland was among a steady stream of hundreds of seniors aged 75 and older who had appointments to get their first shots at the Dartmouth clinic.

According to Ferland, getting her first shot “wasn’t bad at all,” noting that she “barely felt it” go in.

She added that a big factor in her getting the shot was out of an obligation to show some of her more hesitant family members that the vaccine was nothing to be scared of.

“I’ve got so many things wrong with me, so I don’t care,” Ferland laughed.

Linda Hevenor, vice president of clinical operations for Southcoast Health, noted that the old VF Outlet was chosen because the site was the most ideal in terms of accessibility and space.

“If we get enough vaccines from the state — we can vaccinate approximately 25,000 people a week,” she said.

According to Hevenor, allotments from the state have been “pretty low,” noting that Southcoast Health was given just 2,700 to use across its three sites including Fall River and Wareham.

Currently, there are ten nurses staffing the clinic, including nursing students from UMass Dartmouth.

Junior Alison Mercurio said that students like her have been going all over town to help out with the vaccination effort, adding that a couple of colleagues were also present at the Dartmouth High site this past Saturday.

She added that the work so far has been a great experience, especially dealing with the patients.

“They are so sweet — they’re just so excited to be getting their shot,” Mercurio said. “It definitely makes your day seeing how happy they are.”

While Hevenor said she would like to see a few tweaks to the Dartmouth clinic going forward — mostly to make the process more efficient — she thinks things are off to a good start.

“You couldn’t have asked for a smoother process,” she added.

Those interested in getting vaccinated can sign up for the MyChart portal, which automatically adds people to Southcoast’s list of prospective vaccine recipients, at mychart.southcoast.org/mychart/signup.

Current Southcoast patients who are 75 years or older and are unable to sign up for MyChart can expect to receive a call about scheduling a vaccination appointment.

For more detailed information about the sign-up process, go to southcoast.org/covid-vaccine.