March 4, 2021 was a very exciting day at Cherish! EVERYONE, Residents and staff, received their first COVID shot! Our in-house clinic made it easy for Residents to get their shot at home. Island Health reached out mid-day on the 3rd of March saying they would be here at 9am the next morning. WOW! It was “all hands on deck” for the entire Cherish team. We set up the six immunization stations and waiting areas, and created a schedule for individual appointments for each station. Thank you Monica Stevenson, Public Health Nurse and your wonderful team. Clearly the Health Authority is “doing it what it takes” to get the vaccine out there. Monica’s team displayed resourcefulness and flexibility. They were kind, professional and efficient. Most people “didn’t feel a thing” or said “is it over already?” Some of our younger folks had a sore arm the next day, but happily, no one had an allergic reaction! The best news is that by March 19 we will all be 94% protected against COVID!
What a relief! Our Residents, their Essential Family Visitors, our Volunteer Shoppers and Drivers, and, in particular, the Cherish Team have all worked together and together we have kept COVID out of Cherish – not one case. Congratulations to all of you! While we are all feeling pretty lucky about getting on with life SOON, dreaming about the things we will do, masks and the handwash station outside our front door will remain for the months to come. We will do our part to keep our greater community safe!
If you have been thinking of moving into Cherish, but have waited – we have great news – new Residents will be able to get their shots now and not have to wait in line. Cherish has been given a direct priority phone line to register new Residents and staff for vaccinations, regardless of their age. Thank you to the people behind the scenes that have worked tirelessly to bring this vaccine, in record time, to our seniors, seniors who are so deserving. Thank you to Dr. Bonnie Henry for recognizing that all people in communal senior living environments are worthy of early vaccination. We have much to be grateful for!
Cherish will host another in-house clinic for the booster shot in the months to come.
