Oak Orchard Health employees have stepped up for community during pandemic

Editor:

Nothing could have prepared any of us, personally or professionally, for the challenges that we have all faced over the past 19 months – all related to the Covid pandemic.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind the community of the great work that Oak Orchard Health (OOH) has done, and continues to do. Since March of 2020, OOH has performed over 14,000 Covid tests, and has administered over 6,000 Covid vaccines to the community we serve.

We have tested and vaccinated our migrant and seasonal farmworker community. Just last week, we tested over 900 children who require Covid testing prior to returning to school. We have administered Moderna vaccines, Pfizer vaccines, and Johnson and Johnson vaccines. We have ordered the supply, inventoried it, distributed it, and vaccinated.

I cannot thank enough our amazing staff who have graciously worked through the worst of the pandemic, and who continue to persevere through ongoing challenges and changing regulations.

When I hear people in the community make comments such as “OOH received funding to provide testing,” I want to assure you that not only have we tested, but also we have vaccinated. In addition, we have transported patients to our vaccine clinics, we have provided education, we provided translation services not only for our patients, but also for other county’s departments, and we continue to do so graciously and with servant hearts. The funding that OOH received for testing has since been depleted, but we continue to serve.

Our telephone lines are busy (yes, we know we are experiencing longer than normal wait times), but our staff continue to answer your questions and concerns.

Please take a minute to thank our amazing health care staff. Without them, we could not have come this far.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann Pettibon

CEO, Oak Orchard Health