San Francisco North Bay coronavirus vaccination push gets a shot in the arm from volunteers

Who are those masked people putting shots in arms?

Many are North Bay doctors and nurses who are volunteering their time to help get people protected from COVID-19.

“I think we're all enjoying doing something of such high value and it takes such little effort,” said Dr. Steve Olson. “We're really proud of what we do”.

Olson, 65, is a family medicine physician who retired in January 2020 after a 22-year career, spent mostly at Kaiser Permanente. He works twice a week at a vaccine clinic set up through the Sonoma County Medical Association in the Grace Pavilion at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa.

Wendy Young, association executive director, said the volunteers are a mix of retired and full-time medical professionals.

“We offer scheduling options from a half day to a full day to fit the volunteer’s schedule,” Young said, adding the clinic can easily vaccinate 600 people in under five hours, and at a comfortable pace. “Our volunteers arrive every day with such enthusiasm, patience and grace. Some volunteer multiple days per week and have been with us since the inception of this clinic (in January).”

Critical work

Olson is one of those enthusiastic volunteers.

“I just think it's so critically important to get these vaccines into people's arms as quickly as you can,” Olson said. “And I think the amount of benefit it does to the community and community at large is fantastic, compared to the minimal amount of effort on any one individual.”

He also likes helping calm those who feel anxious or nervous.

“Those are the main people I want to see,” Olson said. “I want to make it a positive experience for them and not have it be a big ordeal ... so that when they walk out, it makes it more likely for them to have a conversation with somebody in the community.”

Answering the call

As vaccines began rolling out early in the year for those age 65 and older, MarinHealth put out a call for help putting shots in arms. Adam Nevitt, an interventional radiologist at MarinHealth, said he remembers the first vaccine he gave.

“This patient was super enthusiastic and extremely happy to get the vaccination,” said Nevitt, 54. “And I was very happy to be giving it. I think it made everybody feel good. It’s one of those moments of joy.”

Nevitt is used to working with needles in his work as an interventional radiologist, where he performs minimally invasive, targeted treatments that can avoid major surgeries.

“That's what I do all day long, usually for people who are critically ill or very seriously ill,” said Nevitt, whose career spans more than 20 years. “So it's nice to be able to have an impact on people's lives who aren’t ill.”

Nevitt jumped in early on to vaccinate the most vulnerable before mass vaccinations became routine. Because MarinHealth is affiliated with UCSF Health, he was required to spend several hours studying online modules in order to be credentialed to give the COVID-19 shots, he said.

During his volunteer shifts, Nevitt said he saw a range of emotions from people, from terrified to relieved, but all thankful. One woman was giving out chocolates and others wanted to hand out hugs but couldn’t, he recalled.

“It's such a preventive measure and it was so great for us to have that vaccine so early,” he said. “We didn't really expect to have it as soon as we got it.”

From the front lines

Lori Maggioncaldo, an emergency physician who retired last summer after a 28-year career at Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center, said she is very clear about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I'm looking at it from an interesting standpoint,” said Maggioncaldo, noting her retirement plans were made pre-pandemic. “I treated COVID patients who were very ill in the emergency department.”

Maggioncaldo, a 60-year-old Sonoma resident, registered with the Medical Reserve Corps in both Napa and Sonoma counties to be a volunteer vaccinator. The Medical Reserve Corps is a national network of local volunteers who serve their communities in times of need.

“I retired and everything was shut down,” she said. “And so I looked to volunteer.”

Maggioncaldo spoke with the Business Journal on April 20 from the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa, where a number of health care providers were giving vaccines, including OLE Health, Kaiser Permanente, Queen of the Valley Medical Center and Napa County’s public health department.

The collection of providers bumped up daily vaccination numbers to 2,000, compared to about 500 at individual clinics, said Maggioncaldo. She volunteers between 15 and 25 hours a week, depending on need.

On this particular day, she started vaccinating a younger group of people.

“I've had a lot of really cute 16-year-olds come through, and they're so excited,” she said. “If people are hesitant, I try to educate them.”

Maggioncaldo’s volunteer duties at vaccination clinics sometimes includes serving as a consultant at the front of the line, where questions will come up from people who are wary about getting the vaccine.

Maggioncaldo said if some people still prefer to wait, she’ll invite them to reschedule.

“People need to be comfortable,” she said, “but I do direct them to information that is fact- and science-based.”

Caring for people

Pamela Bellefeuille, R.N., is a full-time nursing professor at UCSF who has been a nurse for 47 years, including 22 years working for Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa.

She began teaching at UCSF 16 years ago, but the past year has kept her out of San Francisco and instead teaching classes on Zoom.

“It's so disconnected to me,” said Bellefeuille. “I love people.”

Like Maggioncaldo, Bellefeuille registered to become a volunteer at Medical Reserve Corps in both Napa and Sonoma counties. At the time, however, she didn’t know what kind of volunteer work she would be called to do. That was in February, and she’s been volunteering in vaccine clinics ever since, something she said she loves.

Most times Bellefeuille is administering vaccines, but she also serves in other capacities, including making sure people qualify for the vaccine or observing their post-vaccination reactions.

Bellefeuille donates her time, which is limited because of her teaching duties, to various clinics. But she said she has a favorite.

“I love volunteering for OLE Health (in Napa),” she said. “The population that they serve is a needy population, a population at-risk who need individuals who care about them, and to provide care for them.”

The work, which also gives her a chance to use her Spanish-speaking skills, allows her to help educate people about the vaccine.

“There are a number of people who are scared, misinformed or don't understand, and they’re fearful,” she said.

For herself, Bellefeuille sees a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, thanks to the vaccines.

“But I'm cautiously optimistic, and I have to say cautiously,” she said. “But what I see is a collection of individuals that have a common purpose, and that's dealing with this pandemic. And I'm hopeful that that spirit continues.”

Cheryl Sarfaty covers tourism, hospitality, health care and education. She previously worked for a Gannett daily newspaper in New Jersey and NJBIZ, the state’s business journal. Cheryl has freelanced for business journals in Sacramento, Silicon Valley, San Francisco and Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University, Northridge. Reach her at cheryl.sarfaty@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4259.