Voices from the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic
When Artesia General Hospital was offered a substantial increase in COVID-19 vaccine doses, we were eager to help! We knew this meant we would be able to get people in the community vaccinated much more quickly. We also knew that getting up to 2,000 doses out a week would be very demanding, requiring the dedication of many hospital resources and peak effort from our employees.
Turnout for the clinic has been tremendous. We’ve seen people from Artesia, of course, but we’ve also helped many people from our surrounding communities and as far away as Albuquerque!
Dozens of Artesia General Hospital employees volunteered to staff the clinic, offering their energy and talents to help immunize the public. The heart of our hospital can be most clearly seen in the hearts of these employees. The people who choose to work here make the hospital the caring, service-focused organization it is. Those who volunteered to work in the vaccine clinic were asked to share their thoughts on the experience:
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“The patients that we have vaccinated from the beginning have been so grateful and thankful to receive the vaccine. It makes all the hard work and stress worth it.”
Carla Casares, Receptionist |
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“It was a blessing. I really can’t think of another way to describe it. It’s hard and exhausting but being able to give people hope during such a dark time is worth every bit of it. It was, and has been, a very emotional time for me personally. I lost patients, family members and friends to COVID19, so I feel incredibly grateful and honored to have been a part of such a wonderful team of people that dropped everything to serve their community.”
Bianca Ortega, PA-C |
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“After working with COVID-19 for a whole year now and being able to help my community become immune to this disease is very rewarding. We are constantly working hard and making sure that each patient gets the vaccine and is properly educated on the vaccine as well! I also appreciate the thankfulness and the patience that the community has shown with us. It really makes the hard year that we just had seem less overwhelming.”
Abigaile Jimenez, Medical Assistant |
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“I have really enjoyed giving the vaccines. Most people have been so grateful to be able to get the vaccine. It was also a way for me to continue to care for our community. In my opinion, the more people who are vaccinated in our community the healthier our community will be. It was very hard to be on the treatment side of COVID and watch people be so incredibly ill and some not make it. The situations were sometimes very hopeless. But the vaccine process has been one of hope and optimism for a healthy return to normal. It has been my honor to be able to serve the community throughout this pandemic.”
Terah Sexton, PA-C |
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“I thoroughly enjoyed my time volunteering in the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic as it’s been a pleasure administering these vaccines to the Artesia community. 2020 has been a tragic year for a lot of families/friends. I look forward to the day that COVID-19 will no longer be rampant. Although none of us will be the same after this pandemic and we will never forget those affected by COVID-19, each vaccine given is just one step closer to a sense of relief and normalcy.”
Allie Lundell, PA-C |
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“Having our whole world turned upside down due to Covid-19 has been unreal to say the least, but seeing how far we have come since last March has been incredible. It’s been an honor to help others feel protected in these unprecedented times and give back a little bit of peace to our community. Being able to put smiles on patients’ faces when they can finally feel safe is what makes it all worthwhile.”
Stacie Chavez, Medical Assistant |
These are the voices of some of the people who make up Artesia General Hospital. The themes running throughout their comments reflect a focus on service, a determination to move forward and offer optimism for the future. Brighter days are coming!