NOTE: This message was sent by email to all Ballad Health team members on Dec. 30, 2020:
Dear Colleague:
Even as we bear witness to a difficult surge in new COVID-19 cases and admissions, we have also been provided the promise of a light at the end of the tunnel – the arrival of the vaccines. Today, I want to share with you some good news – an important milestone we have reached.
I’m happy to announce that Ballad Health has administered more than 10,000 vaccines to team members and community healthcare workers!
This is an important step in protecting each other and our patients as we work to make sure our healthcare workforce can continue to meet the healthcare needs of our communities. Ballad Health has worked hard to make sure we are complying with the guidance from the CDC and health departments in the handling of the vaccines, and we remain committed to the ethical principles of prioritizing limited supply to those most in need, as well as to the essential workforce necessary to care for the public.
We are grateful to each team member who chose to be vaccinated, and most certainly, I applaud the Emergency Management Team at Ballad Health, who, with their partners, planned for and executed an efficient process for making the vaccines available to those who wish to have it. We currently have five designated POD (point of delivery) facilities, and our team is making plans to add additional ones so we may be able to support the health departments in their efforts to broaden the vaccination availability for the high-risk general public.
Our COVID-19 vaccinations began Dec. 15 at Johnston Memorial Hospital, where registered nurse Emily Boucher became the first Ballad Health team member to be inoculated. During that same week, shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine began arriving at our other designated POD sites: Bristol Regional Medical Center, Holston Valley Medical Center and Johnson City Medical Center.
While highest priority for the COVID-19 vaccine was initially given to hospital-based frontline healthcare workers with direct patient exposure, it has been recognized that due to the importance of continuation of operations at hospitals and other care sites, and with the amount of repurposing of staff which has had to be done, all Ballad Health team members are eligible for the vaccine. This includes all medical staff members, team members, volunteers who are working in the hospitals (especially if they are over the age of 75), members of critical governance structures and our outsourced services including Ensemble and Morrison Healthcare.
If you have not received your vaccine yet, here are a few important reminders:
- Check with your designated POD facility to view their weekly vaccination schedule.
- Drop-in for vaccination is at your convenience; no appointment is necessary.
- Please bring your Ballad Health badge, wear a mask and plan to wait for at least 15 minutes following your vaccine in order to be observed.
- You will have to return to that same POD 21 days later (Pfizer) and 28 days later (Moderna) for your second dose of the vaccine, so please plan accordingly.
Receiving the vaccine is encouraged and free of charge for all team members, but it is not mandatory, as we respect the decision some may have to wait and see. Over time, we may revisit the COVID-19 vaccine policy once there is more data to provide comfort to those who might want to observe the experience of those who have been vaccinated.
For those wondering what the vaccination might feel like, I’ll leave you with a few quotes from team members who got the COVID-19 vaccine:
- “I feel great. My arm is sore, like a tetanus shot, but seriously, I feel truly hopeful for the first time in months. Maybe they should list ‘hope’ and ‘relief’ as side effects.” — Emily, an RN at Johnston Memorial Hospital
- “The benefits outweigh the risks for me. I have immunocompromised family members that I don’t want to give the virus to. Working in healthcare, we’re around people that we care for, and I don’t want to run the risk of me getting it, and then taking it home to my family.” — Terri, Dickenson County Hospital
- “Since I’m a physician, I want to take care of myself and my patients. It’s really important that we all get vaccinated and help our community be safe. This is just the first step to overcoming the virus and getting back to normal life.” — Wes Campbell, a pediatrics specialist in Norton, Va.
- “I went into nursing because I wanted to help people. And I became a COVID nurse to care for our community during the pandemic. I’m getting the vaccine because our community is getting ill and dying at a great rate. I hope my immunity will help my community – so they can live.” – Jill, a registered nurse in the COVID-19 unit at JCMC
As always, thank you for all you do to care for our patients and serve our community.
God bless,
Alan
Alan Levine
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ballad Health
