Serving the community is key to system’s mission
DALLAS – On Tuesday nurses at Parkland Memorial Hospital administered its 100,000th dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in its clinic on the hospital’s main campus.
Since administering its first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Dec. 15, 2020 to Perla Sanchez-Perez, a registered nurse in the hospital’s Tactical Care Unit where COVID-positive patients are cared for, the system has been actively vaccinating first responders and others in the 1A category as well as those over 65 who are eligible in the 1B category as designated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Texas Department of State Health Services and local guidelines. Parkland also provides vaccine for some individuals who signed up through the Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) website at Dallas County COVID-19 vaccine.
“This is an important milestone in that more than 65,000 unique members of our community have received either one or both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Francesco Mainetti, vice president of Transformational Initiatives who oversees Parkland’s vaccination effort. “Getting our community vaccinated is the first step in being able to get back to things like spending time with family and friends.”
Reaching this milestone has been a herculean team effort involving hundreds of staff members and thousands of man-hours in locations including the Ellis Davis Field House and Dallas College-Eastfield Campus, two vaccination sites on Parkland’s main campus as well as some Community Oriented Primary Care health center locations.
And while the current frigid conditions have temporarily halted vaccinations at the drive through locations, Parkland staff was busy vaccinating patients with appointments at the main hospital campus and working behind-the-scenes rescheduling individuals for their first or second dose. According to CDC guidelines the second dose can be administered up to 42 days after the initial dose.
“If you were not able to make your COVID-19 vaccine appointment due to weather or if the vaccine clinic was closed, Parkland will contact you with further instructions by the end of the week,” Mainetti said. “Please be patient with us as we are making accommodations for everyone.”
If you wish to sign up for a vaccine on the DCHHS website, please visit Dallas County COVID-19 vaccine. For additional information, please visit Texas Department of State Health Services
