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Carle surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines, celebrates collaboration

Carle surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines, celebrates collaboration
Since the delivery of the first vaccine at Carle Health went into the arm of Uretz Oliphant, MD, in December, thousands have rolled up their sleeves to protect themselves and others from COVID-19.

Today, Carle Health celebrates delivering over 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines and the teamwork of so many across the organization and throughout our community to achieve this milestone.

Shelby Morris, 17, of Clinton received the 100,000th dose at the Carle BroMenn Outpatient Center in Bloomington.

Leonard-James-HIGH-RES.jpg“It is remarkable to think about the level of collaboration and teamwork that has taken place in such a short amount of time,” James C. Leonard, MD, president and chief executive officer of Carle Health said. “You often hear the phrase ‘it takes a village’. In this case, that village is thousands of Carle Health team members and community partners around the region. While we know this is in no way the end, today we celebrate this achievement together.”

With over clinics and mobile vaccination locations throughout east and central Illinois, thousands of team members across multiple departments have stepped up to help make vaccinating our community as simple and accessible as possible.

Among those community partners is a strong line of collaboration and teamwork with numerous local public health departments and city leaders throughout the regions Carle serves, including the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). Strong partnerships with local public health leaders have been key to ensuring our communities have access to the vaccine right in their own back yard. This is critical to ensure access to the vaccine is available to anyone in need.

“When news of vaccine approval began to arrive, we knew that we needed to be innovative with our community resources,” Dr. Leonard said. “And because of the nature of the virus, we knew we needed space. Thanks to the generosity of those in our community we were able to quickly assemble community clinics that met our space needs.”

Among these are many gracious hosts who have opened their doors in accessible, central located spaces including Brookfield Properties, AZT Corporation, and Normal Township. Vaccine distribution operations at the Marketplace Plaza in Champaign, Village Mall in Danville, and the Activities and Recreation Center in Normal are a result of their collaboration.

Vaccine clinics were organized, constructed and running quickly upon the arrival of the very first shipment of vaccines. With the help of those in nearly every department across Carle Health, Hospital Incident Command Center (HICS) leadership credits the work of team members throughout the entire organization for contributing to the successful rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination.

Linda Fred, PharmD, vice president, Pharmacy services notes that these contributions have brought us to this 100,000th vaccine. She says that while the vaccine rollout has been a challenge, she is impressed with how far the organization has come since the start of the pandemic.
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“This has been a task like nothing we’ve faced before, but our team members and community have really taken this challenge head-on,” Fred said. “Carle and our community have really come together and rallied behind the cause of getting to a healthier tomorrow.”

For more than a year, Carle team members have poured countless hours into informing, protecting, healing and serving our community to keep them safe and healthy. Many Carle team members temporarily transitioned to other areas throughout the organization to lend their skills and talents where the need was greatest.

Among this group includes the dedicated team of Carle Auxiliary volunteers, who continue to give one of the most precious resources to help the cause—their time. Their efforts help patients and their families feel welcome, assured and confident in their experience at numerous Carle locations throughout the pandemic.

“We truly cannot say enough to thank those who have made this happen,” Fred said. “Today, we have a lot to celebrate. But we know that the work must go on as we continue to fight this virus. And we’re committed to supporting our community through it all.”

Visit carle.org for more information on Carle Health’s vaccine efforts.  

Photo provided by Lyndsay Jones with The Pantagraph

Categories: Staying Healthy

Tags: “community, community, COVID-19, health, initiatives”, pharmacy, public health, vaccine