Page 7 - Silver Linings Issue2

more frequent sittings and delivering food to some houses.
Godfrey’s staff made necessary changes – at work and at home – to keep themselves and those who enjoyed their meals at Silver Hill safe. Godfrey advised his staff of 21 employees that what they do at home impacts those they work with.
“I’m so proud of my staff,” Godfrey says. “I know it takes a lot to not do the things you want to do, but they know they need to be here to help the residents. I’ve got staff who are really doing a great job, keeping people safe and giving them a good meal.”
Team Vaccinations
Healthcare personnel were eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination during Phase 1a of Connecticut’s
Dr. Michael Groat, Chief Clinical Officer at Silver Hill, credits the staff for keeping the hospital’s infection rate below 1% during the peak of the outbreak.
rollout plan. Silver Hill Hospital worked quickly to secure vaccines for its staff (clinical and nonclinical), volunteers and contractors.
Director of Quality Improvement and Risk Management Emily Hart and Director of Nursing Sharon Kowalchuk, along with many others, spearheaded the effort.
Emily described the process as “chaos behind closed doors” as regulations changed daily, but order and calm on the outside as the vaccination team encouraged staff to get their shots. Silver Hill applied for the shots with the state on November 13 and administered our first doses on December 29.
By the end, Silver Hill had vaccinated 76 percent of
its staff, volunteers and contractors. There were
no wasted shots, as all 800 vaccines that the hospital received were administered.
“It was such a neat way to see the community come together. It couldn’t have gone any better than it
did,” Emily said. “It was an incredible experience after a year of such stress and fear. Just to see the staff again was so uplifting and positive. I’m grateful we were able to provide this to our staff.”
Members of Silver Hill’s Vaccination 7 Team include Director of Nursing
Sharon Kowalchuk, RN, Director of
QI and Risk Management Emily Hart,
and Cathleen Gelman, PhD.
SILVER LININGS MAGAZINE | ISSUE TWO | 2021