May 25, 2021 | Staff Stories
2020 was a difficult year that came with many lessons and triumphs, but now there is a light at the end of the tunnel. When the COVID-19 vaccine came out in December, Mountain Park jumped into action working to get our employees and the community vaccinated. The driving force behind all the hard work is our vaccine coordinators. So far, they’ve helped vaccinate more than 10,000 patients and community members and almost 75% of our employees.
The vaccine coordinators are a small team of four who are responsible for everything vaccine related at Mountain Park. From vaccinating patients and employees to maintaining the temperature control of the vaccine fridges and keeping tabs on expiration dates, even training medical assistants on administering vaccines, the vaccine coordinators do it all.
“Our main focus is vaccines,” said Ramon Peralta, vaccine coordinator. “We make sure all our clinics have the supplies they need and that none go to waste. We do everything in our power to make sure we vaccinate as many people in the community as possible.”
With more than 90,000 patients and nearly 1,000 employees to vaccinate, the vaccine coordinators rely heavily on teamwork to get the job done.
“We work really well together. If someone needs help, we’re all there,” said Maria Ruiz-Luna, vaccine coordinator. “If there’s a power outage or a temperature issue, even if it’s not at our clinic, if the vaccines are in danger of being compromised, we’re all there to help.”
The vaccine coordinators also do a lot of patient education, teaching them about vaccines and making them feel safe and comfortable receiving them.
“A lot of parents bring their kids in and are afraid to get them vaccinated. I get to share my knowledge and it really motivates me,” said Luz Adriana Molina, vaccine coordinator. “I’m able to explain how the vaccines work and make them feel more comfortable and that makes me really happy.”
Our vaccine coordinators are a vital part of keeping our communities safe and healthy and the work they do helps make Mountain Park a great clinic to come to.
Mountain Park is a part of the federal Vaccines for Children program that provides no cost vaccines to kids who might not otherwise be able to afford them.
“For us to be a part of this program, it gives us an advantage over other providers. When the COVID-19 vaccine came out everyone was trying to enroll to get them,” said Luz Ramos, vaccine coordinator. “Being a part of VFC made it easier for us to become a state COVID vaccine provider.”
Our Baseline Clinic has also been a recipient of the Dr. Daniel T. Cloud Award for Outstanding Immunization Practice for 20 years in a row largely thanks to the work our vaccine coordinators do.
“We have a great team of vaccine coordinators. They have all taken on a lot recently,” said Maria Rubio, immunization program manager. “Our job is to make sure we have all the supplies needed to continue to vaccinate our community.”
It’s easy to see that our vaccine coordinators have a big job and they are working hard, but as Ramon says, keeping the community healthy and safe from COVID-19 has been a team effort.
“I wanted to give a shout out to all the employees who have been helping because it’s not just the vaccine coordinators giving vaccines to the community,” said Ramon. “It has been a hectic ride with a lot of changes and everyone has done such a good job adapting and working to keep our community healthy.”
Thank you to another small but mighty team for everything you have done and continue doing for the health of our employees and patients!
For more information, please email info@mphc-az.org
