Citizens Memorial Hospital | Vitality | Spring 2021

CMH vaccinates employees and long-term care residents Citizens Memorial Hospital (CMH) and Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation began vaccinating front-line hospital and long-term care staff and residents on Dec. 22 and 23, 2020, with the Moderna vaccine. CMH ASKS PATIENTS TO JOIN COVID-19 VACCINEWAITING LIST Citizens Memorial Hospital (CMH) patients and community members interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine can join the waiting list at bitly.com/CMHVAX2021 and be notified when the vaccine is available. Current CMH patients will receive their vaccine at their CMH primary care clinic. Additional information about the vaccine is available at citizensmemorial.com/covid-19/ index.html . CMH is following the Missouri vaccination plan, which authorizes the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in phases. We are currently vaccinating those in priority Phase 1A and Phase 1B–Tiers 1 and 2. For information about Missouri’s priority phases, go to covidvaccine.mo.gov/ priority . Individuals who sign up on the waiting list will be contacted by a CMH representative when the vaccine is available and appointments can be scheduled. CMH NEWS Citizens Memorial Hospital complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex. CMH has arranged for language assistance services free of charge. Call 417-326-6000 . (Spanish) ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 417-326-6000 . (Chinese ) 注意：如果您使用繁體中文，您可以免費獲得 語言援助服務。請致電 417-326-6000 . Darlene Garzee was the first long-term care resident to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. She has lived at PVHCF for five years and is the Parkview resident council president. Garzee says she wanted the vaccine because she wanted people to know the vaccine is safe to get, and she is hopeful that the coronavirus will be able to be more controlled. Patsy Chaney, LPN, was the first long-term care nurse to receive the vaccine at Parkview Health Care Facility (PVHCF), one of seven CMH Foundation long-term care facilities. She has worked at PVHCF for eight years, and she wanted the vaccine so she could set an example for others. “This vaccine means the world to my residents,” Chaney says. “We need to curtail the virus so that people can live.” Critical care nurse Ashton Breesawitz, R.N., has worked in the intensive care unit at CMH for more than four years and was the first hospital employee to receive the vaccine. She and the ICU team have been taking care of COVID-19 patients for many months, and she was ready to get vaccinated to protect her family, her community and the people she loves. citizensmemorial.com 3