On Friday, January 8^th, The Wayne County Health Department hosted two COVD-19 Pfizer vaccine clinics at our Oakmont Northville and Oakmont Livonia communities. The culmination of months of planning, the groundwork of hosting these clinics began back in late 2020 when the State of Michigan announced their Vaccination Prioritization List for distribution of the newly approved Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Because Oakmont Communities are home to a large group of seniors, both Oakmont Livonia and Oakmont Northville were included in Vaccination Prioritization Group 1A – the first such group to be targeted for inoculation in the state-wide vaccination campaign.

Son Supports His Mom After She Was Vaccinated!

As two of the first senior communities to be selected for a scheduled vaccine clinic conducted by the Wayne County Health Department, Oakmont staff at the community and corporate level mobilized quickly to distribute and disseminate information, confirm eligibility, and educate our residents and staff on what to expect as the day of the clinic approached.

Both vaccine clinics were conducted with maximum efficiency and efficacy to ensure all residents and staff members who were due to be inoculated were comfortable, safely socially distanced, and ready to receive the vaccination when it was their turn. Residents and staff were arranged in small groups based on their apartment location in the building and brought to our largest common area, the dining room, in staggered time slots. This allowed residents to remain seated and comfortable while waiting in line for their names to be called.

Once called to the front of the line by volunteers from Balanced Home Care, The Weston Group, and Oakmont, residents and staff were taken to a private nursing station where either Amy or Kim, two exceptional nurses from the Wayne County Health Department, consulted each vaccine candidate on a few questions about past experience and allergies. Once it was confirmed that it was safe for the vaccine to be administered, Amy and Kim did so with compassion and skill – ensuring all vaccinations were quick and relatively painless.

Oakmont Employees, Father and Daughter, Vaccinated Together!

After being inoculated, all residents and staff were monitored for a period of 15 minutes to confirm that no side or ill effects from the vaccine would come to light. Tables were arranged in a socially distanced manner with individual timers, refreshments, and volunteers on hand to see to any need that may have arisen. Monitoring locations were also sanitized between every use. Once it was confirmed that there were no adverse reactions, residents were allowed to return to their apartments.

The vaccine clinics at both Oakmont Northville and Oakmont Livonia were a rousing success. More than 200 residents and staff received their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine with very few noticeable side effects. A second dose will be administered in a similar fashion in three weeks. This effort is the first in a process that will see the entire state, and one day, the entire world protected from a virus that has already impacted the lives of millions of Americans across our country.

To our residents, staff, and volunteers; to the Wayne County Health Department and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; to the many scientists and doctors who made this life-saving venture ready in record time, we say a heartfelt “Thank You.”

Thanks to all for making the clinics a success!