First COVID-19 Vaccine Arrives at Valley View for Frontline Healthcare Workers

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLO – The first COVID-19 vaccine shipment arrived at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs this evening. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state of Colorado have established guidelines for the distribution of the vaccine. Valley View is following these guidelines which include a phased approach that delineates who will get the vaccine in which phase. Highest risk healthcare workers are among the first to receive the vaccine. For additional information about the state plan, visit https://covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine.

At 6:30pm, three Valley View nurses administered the first vaccine simultaneously to three front-line providers: Dawn Sculco, Chief Nursing Officer with Dr. David Brooks, pediatrician and Chief Medical Officer; Ellie Reichstein with Dr. Brett Hesse, hospitalist and emergency department physician; and Jen McPherson, emergency department educator with Dr. Katie Mang-Smith, OB-GYN.

“This is a historic moment,” David Brooks, MD, Valley View Chief Medical Officer shared. “Today, we begin to turn the tide of the pandemic in our community. By starting with our community’s front-line healthcare workers, we protect those who are at high risk and the patients for whom they care. I’m grateful to the entire team at Valley View who have worked for months to prepare for this moment,” Brooks added.