A couple of weeks ago, my Facebook timeline shared a post from a close friend who I hold in the highest esteem as one of Southwest Michigan’s leading advocates and a man I trust beyond the pale. Jeff Noel, from the top ranks at Whirlpool Corporation and a former boss of mine when we worked together at Cornerstone in downtown Benton Harbor had simply answered a Facebook meme asking the question “Will you take the Corona vaccine when it becomes available? Just yes or no answers please.” His response, as I recall was, “Yes!!”
When I went to answer the same question, Facebook converted it into a post of my own with my answer which was, “Have an appointment for mine in less than two weeks.” That two week mark was yesterday, Tuesday, January 26th.
Facebook posted my answer triggering 277 additional answers and reactions from people far and wide. Many were positive…a large group answered no…and some were downright adamantly against the concept.
I was glad that when I saw Jeff’s post that not only could I answer in the affirmative, I already had a scheduled appointment, but I can assure you that if I hadn’t already considered it and acted, he would have been a considerable influence through that simple but emphatic response.
Everybody has personal reasons for whatever they elect to do (or not do) in life, and I respect that. Nevertheless, I was somewhat baffled at some of the people who responded with an emphatic and negative response to that simple question. It just didn’t translate in my head for various reasons depending on the person answering. So, I wanted to follow up my actions with my reason.
Understand one thing. I. Hate. Needles. But, I also am a type-2 diabetic who spent the better part of a year self-administering insulin until I got things back under control. I was also born with just one kidney and suffer chronic kidney disease. In other words, I was definitely in the target zone of the coronavirus.
I have had maybe three flu shots in my entire life, two of them because of that little man in the picture above, standing in awe of the Christmas spirit. That’s my grandson Morrie. I did it to protect him. I got the COVID vaccine because of him. He is now nearly 16-months old and lives in Minnesota, a good 6-hour drive from me. I will be 71 this year. I have yet to spend a Christmas with that little man who I love like never before. I do not want to spend another Christmas, or his birthday, or any of a zillion other special occasions apart from him. He is an absolute delight and his parents are doing an amazing job in raising him.
I want to applaud long and loudly for Nicki Britten, Gillian Conrad, and their amazing colleagues at the Berrien County Health Department for doing an absolutely amazing job throughout this pandemic, but especially now when marshaling the troops (many times literally they are U.S. troops) to get “shots in arms” for those who want and need the COVID-19 Vaccine.
I arrived at the Berrien County Health Department’s sprawling parking lot at Napier & I-94 in a light snow on a cold early afternoon and was immediately greeted by a large and very friendly contingent of brightly-vested workers in a sea of orange traffic cones delineating the path through a well-oiled gauntlet of clipboard-wielding officials who checked me in, sent me to a staging area to wait in my car and then came to tell me it was my turn to head inside.
Once inside the building I was immediately greeted by an agent who showed me where to sit briefly until a vaccine administrator was free. It was less than 90-seconds after I was in the building that I was called forward by a young National Guard soldier in Army fatigues to get the vaccine. She was pleasant, cordial, and even jokingly asked if I would like a countdown to when the needle was going into my arm after asking if I had any aversion to needles and responding yes. Just seconds later it was over, she handed me my vaccination record and dispatched me to a waiting area where observers make sure everything is okay for about 15-minutes before you are free to go.
Also during that brief post-vaccine wait, clerks with laptops were circulating through the staging area making sure the appointment for your second vaccine was logged, and by the time I got back to my car I had received an e-mail confirmation of the time, date and place for my second vaccine in February.
It was the epitome of a fine-tuned, highly effective, regimented — yet fully quality customer-service focused — event in every regard. Berrien County should be deeply proud of the work that is going into this dedicated effort to get people vaccinated.
The bottom line is, now you know a bit more of why I got the vaccine and I hope there’s a Morrie in your life that drives your spirit and makes you step outside of your comfort zone. If you are in the eligible phase of those 65-and-over and haven’t made up your mind. Why not? Directly from the Berrien County Health Department’s website here is all you have to do to get started:
WANT THE COVID-19 VACCINE?
If you are interested in receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine and are in Phase 1A or Phase 1B, please complete the appropriate form below:
If you are 65 OR OLDER and are interested in being placed on the vaccine waitlist, please complete this form. We will be in touch with you to let you know when there are vaccine appointments available for you. Please be patient; vaccine appointment availability is subject to the vaccine supply.
If you are a health care worker or part of the health care system in Phase 1A, please complete this form.
If you are an employer of essential employees in Phase 1B, please complete this intake form. Note: this intake form is indicated for employers to complete on behalf of their business/organization’s employees, not by individual people within an organization. We will schedule vaccinations for essential employees through their employer.
We will contact you with more information and instructions for making an appointment. Please do not complete the form more than once. Those completing this pre-registration or indicating interest on the waitlist should expect that appointments may not be available for several weeks. Therefore, we encourage everyone to be patient as we prepare for the upcoming vaccination phases.
