INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center started vaccinating its caregivers with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Ryan Griswold, D.O., and Travis Esposito, D.O., both emergency room physicians, were the first to receive the shot at the hospital.
Charles Maines, RN, works in the COVID intensive care unit at INTEGRIS Southwest. He was a patient himself earlier in the pandemic after catching the virus. At one point, he was hospitalized and listed in critical condition. He was off work for three months before returning to the trenches. He was one of the first in line to receive the vaccine as well. You can watch his vaccination here.
David Chansolme, M.D., the medical director of infection prevention at INTEGRIS Health, has been vocal about the seriousness of COVID-19 since the very beginning. He participated in the Moderna clinical trial but doesn’t know if he received the placebo or not. So he too was vaccinated this week at INTEGRIS Southwest. You can watch his vaccination here.
John Adams is the Chief Hospital Executive of INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center. He says distribution of the vaccine has rejuvenated his staff. “We have been caring for a large number of COVID-19 patients since very early on in the pandemic. Our caregivers have seen the virus cause death and pain not only among the community, but even within our own team members and families. They are exhausted both physically and emotionally. The vaccine provides some much needed optimism, and helps re-energize all of us to keep pushing.”
But health officials warn we’re not out of the woods just yet. It will take several more months and majority compliance to see the true impact of the vaccine. In the meantime, we need to continue to wear masks, wash our hands and watch our distance from others.
