From left to right: Bertha Nunez, Kim Calderon, Sabita Singh, Dr. Rebekah Powers, Hilda Bustillos, Val Sparks, Jennifer Wollaston, Denise Dean, Carol Bair, and Kim Ingram.
June 2021
COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Team
Infection Control & Occupational Health
Midland Memorial Hospital
Midland
,
TX
United States
Val Sparks, MSN, RN, CIC
Rebekah Powers, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, CMSRN, CSPHA
Sabita Singh, BSN, RN-BC, COHN
Kim Calderon, RN
Bertha Nunez, MSN, RN
Carol Bair, LVN
Jennifer Wollaston, BSN, RN, CIC, CHOP-A
Joan Kim Ingram, RN
Denise Dean, BSN, RN
Tiffani Marquez, RN
Crystal Kohanek, RN
Hilda Bustillos, RN
Rebekah Powers, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, CMSRN, CSPHA
Sabita Singh, BSN, RN-BC, COHN
Kim Calderon, RN
Bertha Nunez, MSN, RN
Carol Bair, LVN
Jennifer Wollaston, BSN, RN, CIC, CHOP-A
Joan Kim Ingram, RN
Denise Dean, BSN, RN
Tiffani Marquez, RN
Crystal Kohanek, RN
Hilda Bustillos, RN
They also organized volunteers from within the hospital as well as the community and collaborated with Pharmacy, Hospital Information Systems, HR, Central Supply, and Environmental Services to create an efficient vaccine delivery system.
Val Sparks was the driving force behind the success of Midland Memorial Hospital’s mass vaccination efforts for Midland and surrounding communities. As a result, MMH has been responsible for vaccinating over 88,000 people in Midland and surrounding areas from 12/20 to present, and have received many compliments and thanks from the communities vaccinated. Months prior to the release of COVID vaccines, Val and Sabita Singh attended numerous in-services and started working on a strategy for vaccine rollout. They developed processes to streamline vaccination and worked out the process needed for documentation of the vaccine as required by the state. Occupational Health & Infection Control staff worked together to learn all they could about the vaccines and trained other staff members to prep and administer vaccines. They also organized volunteers from within the hospital as well as the community and collaborated with Pharmacy, Hospital Information Systems, HR, Central Supply, and Environmental Services to create an efficient vaccine delivery system.
Once we received the vaccine in December, we were able to administer 360 vaccines in just 4 hours on the first day. By the end of 2020 (2 weeks), we administered 2,319 vaccines to both MMH employees and community members in the CDC’s 1a criteria. When MMH was approved to receive vaccines on a larger scale, efforts were joined with the County and Midland Fire Department to open the Midland County Horseshoe Arena & Pavilion event center as a mass vaccination site 1/21. Val ran the Horseshoe site initially, then Dr. Rebekah Powers took over the supervisory role while still maintaining her regular duties as Patient Safety Manager. There were many e-mails received from her late into the night. This allowed the Horseshoe site to remain open while freeing Val to concentrate on other vaccination efforts.
A second mass vaccination site was up and running at the Golf Course Church of Christ for one month managed by Val and Denise Dean. Val & Denise went with a team to Marfa and Fort Stockton to deliver first and second doses. Denise did double duty as a translator as well. Val and Jennifer Wollaston went to Garden City and the Santa Rita Retirement village. Val, Denise, Kim Calderon, and Crystal Kohanek went to Cotton Logistics Migrant Holding Facility.
In addition to physically going out and working at these events, Val coordinated vaccine distribution to various other entities. These include Midland Independent School District, Midland Christian School, Trinity School, Encompass Health Rehabilitation, Oceans Behavioral Hospital, and others. Johnny Flitton and his team also took vaccines to Casa de Amigos, Senior Center, and the Homebound community. Getting these vaccines ready for distribution was a team effort by Infection Control, Occupational Health & Pharmacy, as well as volunteers. Many people were involved in the success of this Herculean effort led by Val and are too numerous to be mentioned individually.
However, there is a core group of people that deserve notable mention for their hard work and continued dedication to vaccinating as many people as possible:
ER leadership and staff for running vaccine clinics in ER when the vaccine was brought back and needed to be used by the end of the day or it would expire. Also for monitoring our employees who had vaccine reactions in the past. This allowed us to vaccinate people who probably would have refused otherwise.
Heart Institute leadership and staff for always showing up when called for help. House Supervisors for always being willing to give vaccines to night shift staff, as well as finding recipients for vaccines left over at the end of the day from the Horseshoe, ensuring that no doses were wasted. Margaret Williams, Khristie Prince, Erica Herren, and Thomas Stephan for working in whatever role was needed. Jessica Johnson, Taylor Anderson, and Kiki Grado for helping Tiffani Marquez with data entry into Immtrac 2, so that we could report to the State in a timely manner.
Community volunteers Missy Grimes, Gail Vanderlee, Carole Strange, and Kimberly Meyers for volunteering countless hours. Tim Warpula and staff in Pharmacy worked to get us a special freezer for storage of the Pfizer vaccine, and trained pharmacy staff on safe handling of the vaccine. Lisa Olgin faithfully delivers vaccines every day and keeps us updated on Lot numbers, so that Carol Bair can print labels in time to send to the Horseshoe. Midland Fire Dept. for assisting at multiple vaccine locations. Team Rubicon for their service at the Horseshoe to help things run smoothly. Shanidy Shook, Melinda Valenzuela, and Caden Pritchard worked with Sabita to get updated software to document vaccines. HR got us the clerical help we needed to report vaccine information to the state. Reagan Twum-Barimah for helping Sabita with the vaccine database and developing reports to send updated vaccine information. Noreen Carrasco and Central Supply staff kept us stocked with supplies, and EVS kept our area clean at the end of each hectic day.
Once we received the vaccine in December, we were able to administer 360 vaccines in just 4 hours on the first day. By the end of 2020 (2 weeks), we administered 2,319 vaccines to both MMH employees and community members in the CDC’s 1a criteria. When MMH was approved to receive vaccines on a larger scale, efforts were joined with the County and Midland Fire Department to open the Midland County Horseshoe Arena & Pavilion event center as a mass vaccination site 1/21. Val ran the Horseshoe site initially, then Dr. Rebekah Powers took over the supervisory role while still maintaining her regular duties as Patient Safety Manager. There were many e-mails received from her late into the night. This allowed the Horseshoe site to remain open while freeing Val to concentrate on other vaccination efforts.
A second mass vaccination site was up and running at the Golf Course Church of Christ for one month managed by Val and Denise Dean. Val & Denise went with a team to Marfa and Fort Stockton to deliver first and second doses. Denise did double duty as a translator as well. Val and Jennifer Wollaston went to Garden City and the Santa Rita Retirement village. Val, Denise, Kim Calderon, and Crystal Kohanek went to Cotton Logistics Migrant Holding Facility.
In addition to physically going out and working at these events, Val coordinated vaccine distribution to various other entities. These include Midland Independent School District, Midland Christian School, Trinity School, Encompass Health Rehabilitation, Oceans Behavioral Hospital, and others. Johnny Flitton and his team also took vaccines to Casa de Amigos, Senior Center, and the Homebound community. Getting these vaccines ready for distribution was a team effort by Infection Control, Occupational Health & Pharmacy, as well as volunteers. Many people were involved in the success of this Herculean effort led by Val and are too numerous to be mentioned individually.
However, there is a core group of people that deserve notable mention for their hard work and continued dedication to vaccinating as many people as possible:
ER leadership and staff for running vaccine clinics in ER when the vaccine was brought back and needed to be used by the end of the day or it would expire. Also for monitoring our employees who had vaccine reactions in the past. This allowed us to vaccinate people who probably would have refused otherwise.
Heart Institute leadership and staff for always showing up when called for help. House Supervisors for always being willing to give vaccines to night shift staff, as well as finding recipients for vaccines left over at the end of the day from the Horseshoe, ensuring that no doses were wasted. Margaret Williams, Khristie Prince, Erica Herren, and Thomas Stephan for working in whatever role was needed. Jessica Johnson, Taylor Anderson, and Kiki Grado for helping Tiffani Marquez with data entry into Immtrac 2, so that we could report to the State in a timely manner.
Community volunteers Missy Grimes, Gail Vanderlee, Carole Strange, and Kimberly Meyers for volunteering countless hours. Tim Warpula and staff in Pharmacy worked to get us a special freezer for storage of the Pfizer vaccine, and trained pharmacy staff on safe handling of the vaccine. Lisa Olgin faithfully delivers vaccines every day and keeps us updated on Lot numbers, so that Carol Bair can print labels in time to send to the Horseshoe. Midland Fire Dept. for assisting at multiple vaccine locations. Team Rubicon for their service at the Horseshoe to help things run smoothly. Shanidy Shook, Melinda Valenzuela, and Caden Pritchard worked with Sabita to get updated software to document vaccines. HR got us the clerical help we needed to report vaccine information to the state. Reagan Twum-Barimah for helping Sabita with the vaccine database and developing reports to send updated vaccine information. Noreen Carrasco and Central Supply staff kept us stocked with supplies, and EVS kept our area clean at the end of each hectic day.