Director of Patient Care Leslie Shephard, BSN, RN, OCN, receives Monmouth Medical Center’s first COVID-19 vaccine from Krystal Blankenbaker, MSN, RN, Med Surg Clinical Educator, as Scott Mathis, left, Pharm.D., Regional Director of Pharmacy and Medication Use, and President and CEO Eric Carney, look on.
Long Branch, NJ, December 21, 2020 – Following weeks of preparation, Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, began administering the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine to its high-risk, frontline employees today.
The hospital opened its employee vaccine clinic at 7 a.m. with Director of Patient Care Leslie Shephard, MSN, RN,OCN, the first of 138 employees scheduled to receive the vaccine today. A resident of Eatontown who noted she was honored to be a part of what she termed “a little light at the end of the tunnel,” Shephard is the clinical director for one of the hospital’s dedicated COVID-19 inpatient units.
“It felt like a normal vaccine, with no burning or anything unusual,” she said after receiving injection. Following a 15-minute observation period, she said she felt great and was ready to return to work.
“It was a very exciting and emotional day for us as our first heroes were vaccinated,” said Eric Carney, president and CEO of Monmouth Medical Center and Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus. “For me, it brings hope that we, alongside our community, are on a path that returns to wellness. The availability of the vaccine marks a major milestone in our collective recovery from COVID-19.”
RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH) has been working diligently with the state to support the New Jersey Department of Health’s ambitious vaccination plan to get 70 percent of the state’s adult population vaccinated in six months. As the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, RWJBarnabas Heath is committed to treating and saving the lives of patients with COVID-19, and also to fighting the spread of the disease, protecting its team members and ending the pandemic. With the opening of its employee vaccine clinic today, Monmouth Medical Center is proud to be an integral part of the national and New Jersey COVID-19 vaccination effort. Public health officials and medical experts believe vaccination is an important step in helping to prevent or lessen the effect of COVID-19 and its potentially devastating consequences.
The Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine received emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 11, 2020. Vaccine safety and efficacy for Pfizer’s vaccine has been issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the FDA. FDA authorization of a vaccine means the agency has determined, based on substantial evidence and a stringent review process, that the vaccine is safe and effective for its intended use. The vaccine has been shown to be 95 percent effective and requires two doses received 21 days apart. The vaccine is voluntary for employees and medical staff and is being offered free of charge.
Shephard, a 22-year MMC employee, expressed the hope that her history-making turn as the hospital’s first to receive the vaccine will encourage more people to get educated about the vaccine, and in turn, get vaccinated.
“I think many people are just saying no without understanding the safety of this vaccine,” she said. “I was a hard no myself at first, but then I read all the studies and realized the research and safety trials were very well done. I feel like there are so many things about our health that are unpredictable and this is a choice we can make to be proactive about our health.
“For my staff, who have been working so hard caring for COVID patients, I hope this vaccine lifts their spirits with the hope that there is an end in sight to this virus,” she adds. “It is a great way to focus so we can continue to push ahead.”
Due to limited supply, the vaccine is being given in phases based on prioritization order. The prioritization order for RWJBarnabas Health staff is determined by the risk of contracting COVID-19 from exposures while at work, primarily by job setting. RWJBarnabas Health facilities expect to vaccinate staff over a six-week period (weeks 1-3 first dose; weeks 4-6 second dose).
Contact: Kathy Horan
732-546-6317
Kathy.Horan@rwjbh.org