Goodwin’s getting Vaccinated!

UPDATE: Goodwin residential care residents have now received their second round of the Pfizer vaccination. Thank you to all who made the process so successful.

Spirits were high as David Harper House and Ralph Cartwright Centre residents were among the first in Australia to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination, with residents receiving their first round of injections on Thursday 4 March.

A collaborative effort between Goodwin Aged Care Services and Aspen Medical resulted in a flawless process of administering the vaccine to 159 residents.

The team from Aspen Medical including a GP, immunisers, and administrators were onsite to administer and monitor the vaccinations, with additional Goodwin staff including our pharmacist, registered nurses, immunisers, chefs, and care staff on hand to assist in a number of ways.

Goodwin’s Executive Director of Care, Jamie Fillingham, said that excellent teamwork, commitment, and effort in the lead up to the rollout is what made the day so successful.

“Everyone pulled together really well, and everyone really pitched in. When you get such dedicated professionals all working seamlessly together, you can achieve great things in a very short timeframe.”

Ralph Cartwright resident Jean, who recently turned 85, was surprised how easy it all was.

“I was a bit worried about receiving the injection, but I didn’t feel it at all. I didn’t even know she’d done it, it was unbelievable!”

When asked how the pandemic had impacted her life, Jean replied “COVID has been fine for me. I actually found it to be very helpful. If I was not well and had to go to hospital, someone was always there to help and I never had to wait for anything.”

“Still, the injection was a very easy experience and I’m happy to do it again in a few weeks.”

Jean’s daughter, Dawn, accompanied her on the day. “I’m very happy that Jean’s received it today. It’s one of those things that you worry about it being fast-tracked, but I’m confident that the Therapeutic Goods Administration are giving us the right information and backing it, so yes, I’m very happy she’s getting it.”

“The experience today has been good. It’s very well organised and the communication has been great. I rang up yesterday, because I had to get time off work to come by, and they told me what time they were starting and we didn’t have to wait long at all.” Said Dawn.

Several Goodwin staff members were also lucky enough to receive the vaccine today, though the majority of staff will have to wait until all consenting residents have received the vaccine, and more doses become available.

Goodwin House Ainslie is up next, with vaccinations scheduled to occur next week, and retirement living, home care clients, and staff yet to be confirmed.

Flu vaccination are also expected to be taking place in the near future, with special attention being paid to ensuring they do not overlap or conflict with the COVID vaccinations.