Publication for the Anna Jaques community | December 2020 | E-Newsletter 3 (Issue 143) |
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Featured collage: A snapshot of staff and physicians at Anna Jaques Hospital "taking their shot."
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In a year like no other, and at a time when we all are reimagining what the holidays will look like, it is fitting that the excitement buzzing through our organization is coming from an early gift that this time last year we never would have expected wanting so badly: the COVID-19 Vaccine.
Last week marked a historic and pivotal moment with the first wave of distribution of the COVID-19 Vaccine. More than 3,200 staff and providers from across Beth Israel Lahey Health – and about 350 at AJH - have received the vaccine to date with plans to make it available to our entire workforce in the coming weeks and months. AJH continues to adhere to the protocols established by BILH, the state, and CDC for the vaccination rollout, prioritizing patient-facing clinicians and staff who are at greatest risk of exposure to the virus based on their work location and the patients they support.
This milestone has brought with it many emotions, but primarily excitement and relief that hope is on the way. The recurring response when asking our teammates "why" they chose to be vaccinated was: “to protect myself, my family, my patients and community.”
The magnitude of this undertaking cannot be understated. Dr. Gail Fayre, Chief Medical Officer, has been our fearless leader as she’s championed the distribution of the vaccine for Anna Jaques. The teamwork, collaboration, adaptability and dedication to step up and act swiftly has been on full display across the organization over the past few weeks. Below is a behind-the-scenes look at some of the major accomplishments executed by “Team Vaccine” at AJH:
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- IT built – from scratch – a tool for managers and employees to register and schedule their vaccination.
- Managers and the Medical Staff Office had just one week to identify and schedule their most at-risk employees and physicians for vaccination in the first round.
- Pharmacy coordinated the receipt and distribution of the vaccine at our facility, from compounding to securely moving the vaccine within the facility, to storage.
- Employee Health and HR arranged for multiple vaccinators and registration personnel to staff the vaccine clinic between 8 to 12 hours per day, 7 days a week.
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Facilities had to retrofit a small room to house and secure a giant ultra-cold freezer that was generously donated to AJH by North Shore Innoventures to store the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on site.
Just when we thought things could not get more complicated, we were hit with our first massive snowstorm of the year on Day 2 of the vaccine clinic. Environmental Services and Facilities, as always, ensured that our facilities were safe – both inside and out – and made sure our COVID-19 Testing Tent in the ED remained standing.
The vaccine brings with it hope that we are taking the first steps to shift from defense to offense in combatting the virus. However, this does not mean we can let our guard down, especially as AJH hit the highest COVID-19 census yet with 25 inpatients over the weekend. We know that we must be more diligent than ever with safety measures, especially over the holidays.
I hope everyone received our small holiday token of appreciation of Whoopie Pies. We recognize it is nearly impossible to properly thank you all, our Healthcare Heroes, for your extraordinary dedication to our hospital, our patients and our community. Your tireless work is deeply appreciated.
The holidays may look different this year, but the spirit is alive and well at Anna Jaques. See a special holiday toast penned by Nancy Ross of Patient Accounts and some holiday photos below.
I wish you all a very happy, healthy holiday season!
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Sandra Levin, Chief Quality Officer; Yinka Ojutalayo, Director of Pharmacy; and Dr. Gail Fayre, Chief Medical Officer |
Jessica Warner & Michelle Robbins of the Pharmacy, compounding the vaccine |
Vaccine administrator, Judy Fayre, RN |
Members of the Facilities team |
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Mark L. Goldstein
President, Anna Jaques Hospital
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Amanda Ross & Mary Williamson of Development delivering holiday Whoopie Pies. |
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"Ugly Sweater Day" at the Anna Jaques Cancer Center affiliated with BIDMC. |
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Members of Environmental Services getting in the holiday spirit. |
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Stephen F. Salvo Shining Star |
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Imelda Culbert
Financial Coordinator
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Join us in congratulating Imelda Culbert, Financial Coordinator, as the
Stephen F. Salvo Shining Star. Imelda was nominated by her colleagues who wrote:
"Imelda is a remarkable example of compassion and kindness. She readily and willingly answers the call for assistance, making each person (staff and patients) feel as though they are her utmost priority. She follows up and addresses all questions and concerns with extreme patience, compassion, and professionalism."
Thank you for all that you do, Imelda!
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Message from BILH: Staying Safe During the Holidays |
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The holiday season is upon us, yet safety remains paramount. After the Thanksgiving holiday, Massachusetts saw a significant increase in COVID-19, including among our workforce.
It’s very important that each of us be mindful about how we gather together. As health care workers, we have an obligation to be safe – for ourselves and for others. Please think carefully about the time you spend up close with others, especially those outside of your regular contacts. How we each spend our time outside of work can impact exposures among our patients and our colleagues. For more tips on how to celebrate safely, please see BILH’s Holiday Guidance.
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Vaccine Distribution
- BILH has made a commitment to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to the entire workforce. When employees are eligible for vaccination, they will be contacted directly by their manager and receive an email via the BILH scheduling system with details on how to register.
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To learn more about the vaccine, BILH continues to update FAQs available at: https://covid-19.bilh.org/vaccine/
Asymptomatic Staff COVID-19 Testing
The scheduling tool is now available on the LabPass website. Employees can register and make an appointment at www.LabPass.com/en/patient. Enter the worksite testing ID code: AJH25
AJH will observe holiday hours with no testing available Thursday, December 24 and December 31. There will be expanded testing hours on December 21 & December 28: 7am – 3pm
Normal hours will resume on Monday, January 4 (7am – 11am) and Thursday, January 7
(11am – 3pm)
Staff who are symptomatic or have an exposure, or who have traveled and need clearance to return to work, should continue to work with Employee Health for their COVID tests.
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Wishing the Anna Jaques Community a Happy, Healthy Holiday |
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Anna Jaques Hospital
www.ajh.org
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