Vaccine for the Villagers!
Almost a year after the global pandemic of 2020 placed our lives on hold, Cross Keys Village took a significant step towards a long-awaited “return to normal.” Our Health Care and Personal Care residents, as well as our team members, began receiving their Pfizer vaccine in the opening days of 2021. However, it took a bit longer to secure sufficient doses for our largest population of all: our Residential Living villagers.
Thanks to the collaboration between CKV and CVS Health, one of the two state-appointed pharmacy providers for long-term facilities, we were able to schedule mass vaccination for our villagers six weeks after our Health Care residents. As everyone knows by now, the paperwork preceding the shots is quite involved, and our Residential Living Administrator, George Turner, asked for “all hands on deck” to help villagers with the forms before the first poke in the first arm on Saturday, February 20. Team members from many departments responded and this paperwork took place in a celebratory atmosphere. For many, it was the first large gathering in many months, albeit held under the strictest safety precautions. “It was nice to be able to work side-by-side with everyone again—in person and not by Zoom—and know that we still have what it takes to pull off a large undertaking within the shortest timeframe,” said Turner.
By March 12, both doses of the Pfizer vaccine had been administered speedily to 510 villagers in our Ensemble Room! When you count the villagers who received their shots elsewhere and those who still have upcoming appointments lined up off campus, at least 80 percent of Residential Living will have been vaccinated. After spending many long days among the CKV family between January and March, the hardworking CVS Health team expressed their appreciation for our hospitality and our organization. Representative Karen Stock, Registered Pharmacist, noted that Cross Keys Village is one of places she enjoys most to coordinate vaccination clinics. “CKV is very resident-first. They are concerned, supportive, and want to make it as safe as possible for the resident,” she said.
Mary Jo Moran was the first villager to complete both vaccines through the CKV clinic, and she was thrilled after receiving that final dose. “I used to work in vaccine research, so I know how important this is.” Mary worked for Social & Scientific Systems, researching clinical trials. She even remembers crossing paths with the renowned Dr. Anthony Fauci.
The CKV team received countless calls, emails and cards from villagers, thanking everyone for their dedication: “We would like to thank the people that made it possible for villagers to receive the vaccine, and for all the team members that so graciously gave up a weekend with their family to help with the logistics,” said villager Linda Sipe. “We are so thankful and appreciative for everything and everyone.” The laughter and rejoicing that accompanied this process shows how hungry we all are for group activities to return to their previous level. We are not there yet… but with this latest step we are much closer than we were, last fall, when news of a vaccine began surfacing.
