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Mid Coast Hospital Administers First Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine to Front-Line Caregivers
Mid Coast Hospital Administers First Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine to Front-Line Caregivers
Brunswick, Maine – Mid Coast Hospital administered the first vaccinations for COVID-19 to its front-line caregivers today. At 7:30 a.m. Paul LaPrad, MD, became the first care team member at Mid Coast Hospital to receive the vaccine. LaPrad has been a pulmonologist in the community for 25 years, and has been caring for COVID-19 patients at Mid Coast Hospital since March.
“I am honored to receive the first vaccine at Mid Coast Hospital,” said LaPrad after receiving the vaccine. “Over the past few months, we’ve endured much concern for patients and colleagues. It’s nice to have hope that this will be over soon.”
Shortly after LaPrad, several Mid Coast Hospital caregivers including physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists received their vaccinations today. This week, distribution is focused on Intensive Care Unit teams, Emergency Department caregivers, and those providing care in dedicated COVID-19 inpatient units.
“With additional vaccine expected, we will begin vaccinating all patient-facing hospital staff members next week followed by patient-facing staff in our practices and home care clinicians. As a priority population, residents and staff at Mid Coast Senior Health will also be vaccinated in the next few weeks in accordance with CDC guidance,” said Chris Bowe, MD, Mid Coast–Parkview Health’s chief medical officer who oversees distribution of the vaccine at Mid Coast Hospital. “This is an important step to ensure that our caregivers will remain at the ready to help our communities through this pandemic.”
Even as vaccine becomes available at Mid Coast Hospital, all safety measures will remain in place, including the use of personal protective equipment, extra cleaning of surfaces, segregation of patients known or suspected of having COVID-19, and daily screening for symptoms of all employees.
Mid Coast Hospital and Mid Coast Medical Groups are available and safe to see patients for important health screenings and testing, as well as primary and specialty care appointments. Telehealth appointments are also available for those who wish to remain at home.
When asked about the availability of vaccines for patients, Bowe commented, “Quantities of these vaccines will be very limited in coming weeks and it’s expected that vaccinations won’t be available to most patients until late spring or early summer. The CDC will determine the criteria for distribution to patients, and we are actively preparing for patient vaccine distribution per their guidelines when it becomes available.”
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About Mid Coast–Parkview Health
Mid Coast–Parkview Health is a dynamic healthcare system addressing a full continuum of community health, wellness, and prevention needs with a full-service 93-bed hospital (Mid Coast Hospital<http://www.midcoasthealth.com/>), a diverse medical group (Mid Coast Medical Group<http://www.midcoasthealth.com/mcmg/>), senior health care (Mid Coast Senior Health<https://www.midcoastseniorhealth.com/>), and home healthcare services (CHANS Home Health & Hospice<https://www.chanshomehealth.com/>).
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