On Monday, February 1st, The Macomb County Health Department hosted a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Oakmont Parkway with the goal of inoculating residents and staff with the newly released COVID-19 vaccine. As part of Vaccination Prioritization Group 1A, residents and staff of Oakmont Parkway were eligible to take part in one of the first on-site clinics administered by the county.
Daughter supporting her mom as she gets vaccinated!
Once the vaccine initiative was announced at the state level, Oakmont began working with the county, volunteers, residents, employees, and families to ensure everyone who was eligible for the vaccine had the proper information, forms, and expectations going into the clinic. Once the day arrived, the clinic was conducted with a focus on efficiency and safety – ensuring all who were due to be vaccinated 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 nurses from the Macomb County Health Department consulted each vaccine candidate on a few questions about past experiences and allergies. Once it was confirmed that it was safe for the vaccine to be administered, the nursing team did so with compassion and skill – ensuring all vaccinations were quick and relatively painless.
Showing off her new great-granddaughter while waiting for her vaccine!
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 clinic at Oakmont Parkway was smooth and successful, with more than 100 residents and staff members receiving their first dose. A second dose will be administered in a similar fashion in three weeks.