Courtney Luciana photo
Nurse Alyssa Harris vaccinates Patrick Waldron Friday.
New Haven marked several turning points Friday in its efforts to protect people from Covid-19.
The city health department held a luncheon at its 54 Meadow St. headquarters to mark having now administered more than 10,000 vaccinations and operated 18 pop-up sites .
The event also marked the changing of the guard, as Jennifer Vazquez resigns from her post overseeing that effort as director of public nursing. City Health Director Maritza Bond praised Vazquez for her work, and welcomed her replacement, new city Clinical Director Stacey Hutcherson.
To date, the health department has administered 10,957 vaccines. Of those vaccinations 7,464 are first doses and 3,493 are second doses. (That’s separate from vaccines administered by health systems in town like Yale New Haven and Fair Haven Health Care.) The city vaccinated another 110 people Friday at 54 Meadow.
Jennifer Vazquez.
Vazquez, who has worked long hours with her staff vaccinating New Haveners, said Friday she decided she needs to take time care of her two children and elderly mother.
“Looking back to a year ago from today and where we all started, we worked so hard from standing up testing, doing contact tracing, reopening schools, and rolling into Covid-19 vaccines,” Vazquez said. “We’ve done a lot over the past year and it’s been a pleasure to be a part of it.”
Officials at Friday’s event.
Vazquez said that she never imagined her job to evolve to managing the New Haven Health Department’s staff providing Covid-19 vaccinations.
“It wasn’t really anybody asking me to get involved with the Covid-19 vaccination sites,” Vazquez said. “It was really just a matter of all hands on deck. Everybody in the entire department just pitched in and did everything that we needed to.”
Stacey Hutcherson.
Hutcherson is a single dad of two younger boys. He has taken a hiatus from earning his masters in nursing executive leadership at Sacred Heart to assume the new city role.
“I think right now at this time. I’m called to serve,” Hutcherson said. “I’m honored to be a part of trying to serve the community here as the pandemic is impacting everybody. It’s a very difficult time for everybody so right now synergy is important.”
Everett Lamm, vice-president of clinical affairs for Fair Haven Community Health Care, noted that his organization has partnered up with the city and the public schools by operating a clinic at Wilbur Cross High School’s auxiliary gym, where approximately 500 residents a day are vaccinated.
“The bulk of them have been school personnel from the local districts, and it’s been an amazing effort,” Lamm said. “We’re one of the four health centers in the state that has access to vaccines from the federal government in addition to the state because the Health Resources and Services Administration (HERSA) has pledged it to about 25 percent of all federal qualified health centers.”
Patrick Waldron, 74, from Branford (pictured at the top of the story), received his second Moderna shot at the site on Friday.
“I was just sort of following along with the news, when a friend who is my age texted me, and I called immediately,” Waldron said. “I was amazed that I was asked where I wanted to get it in New Haven, and this was closer for me. It was a very easy process. I’m excited to now be fully vaccinated.”