Area First Responders Grateful to be Among First Vaccinated
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that healthcare workers and first responders be among the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Michael Willis, the Marion Division Captain for the United Medical Response Ambulance Service, understands why. Willis said, “As healthcare providers, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to protect our patients and the public. So, getting vaccinated is a way we can keep people safe.”
Heartland Regional Medical Center Emergency Manager Nikolas Fort works closely with southern Illinois’ first responders and has helped coordinate vaccinations for the Marion hospital. “Following the CDC guidance, first responder vaccinations are a top priority,” Fort said. “Like frontline healthcare workers, they are at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19. Plus, if they are not on the job because of COVID, the whole region suffers.”
Marion Fire Department Assistant Chief Bill Heyde appreciates being at the front of the line. “We are very fortunate to be included the way we have,” Heyde said. “Heartland Regional has done a really good job with reaching out to us and helping keep people safe. We’re really appreciative of that.”
The process has had its hurdles, according to Fort. “Firefighters, cops, and paramedics tend to have a ‘take-care-of-the-other-guy-first’ attitude. So, I’ve had to explain it is in the public’s best interest for getting vaccinated.”
For Nathan Benbrook, Paramedic at United Medical Response, getting vaccinated was an easy choice. “I decided to get the COVID vaccine because I didn’t want to be an asymptomatic carrier and potentially spread it to somebody who could not fight it as well as me,” Benbrook said. “I got the vaccine to prevent the spread.”
The pandemic has hit close to home for Lake of Egypt Firefighter Randall Grohler. “Some close friends started getting COVID and passed away from it, so that was pretty much the game-changer for me of why I wanted to get vaccinated,” Grohler said. “We’re trying to do our part to keep everybody else safe.”
Willis agreed. “I believe in science. I believe it’s safe. I believe it’s effective. And, we risk spreading this by being asymptomatic spreaders.”
As more of the community receives the vaccination, citizens still need to remain vigilant. “We are encouraged by the initial availability of vaccines against COVID-19, but there is still work to be done,” Fort said. “It is important to continue to take precautions against spreading the virus by wearing masks, washing hands frequently, staying six feet apart, and avoiding large gatherings.”
The Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department, in collaboration with area providers and the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH), is beginning to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to the public, including those 65 and older. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit http://bicountyhealth.org/. Clinics are being held at The Pavilion in Marion and VF Factory Outlet in West Frankfort.