Westmoreland pharmacist 'absolutely' wants to play bigger role in doling out covid vaccine

There was no question in Ed Christofano’s mind that he would take more than a thousand doses of coronavirus vaccine when state officials offered them on short notice the weekend before last.

“Absolutely,” the Westmoreland County pharmacist said.

Within 24 hours, he had the doses — and plenty of waiting arms.

One was attached to Vilma Brisbane, a Hempfield woman whose granddaughter, Mindy Vickers, was volunteering at the nine-hour clinic on Valentine’s Day . Vickers, a Hempfield Area teacher, said most of the approximately 900 patients were excited to get off the Hayden’s Pharmacy waiting list, which had swelled to 45,000 names.

“We were dying for the day that my 91-year-old grandma could get vaccinated,” Vickers said.

Christofano, owner of Hayden’s Pharmacy, said his quick work with the help of volunteers can be a model for vaccine clinics locally and statewide.

He’d like to keep the pace up. Heck, he’d love to see it accelerate.

“I feel a sense of accomplishment. However, I feel we could still be doing more if we could just receive the supply from the state,” he said.

Small community pharmacies have signed up with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to become vaccine providers, but many have run into roadblocks getting enough supply. The federal government has inked direct partnerships with large pharmacy chains to speed up distribution. That has left independent pharmacies to rely on inconsistent shipments through the state. Many have waiting lists with thousands upon thousands of names.

State health officials last week announced new measures meant to streamline the process, one of which would reduce the number of vaccine providers to 200 or 300 statewide, narrowing the effort to those who have demonstrated the ability to vaccinate people quickly.

‘Emotional day’

Volunteers from Hempfield Area schools and the township fire bureau helped Christofano at the impromptu clinic staged inside the high school field house.

The process was smooth.

Patients shuffled through a series of check-in tables before moving to center court, where they met Christofano and got their shot. Then they waited on the bleachers for 15 minutes to make sure there were no side effects and went on their way, he said.

“It wouldn’t have been possible without (the volunteers),” he said. “It was a very emotional day.”

Some district teachers were among those vaccinated, Superintendent Tammy Wolicki said. At least 75 district staffers helped in the spacious location.

“It was emotional when you realized how grateful the community members were to get a vaccination,” she said. “Ed Christofano was amazing in his interactions with individuals, even with the pace he maintained.”

Patients moved through the process quickly, Vickers said. She swabbed arms at one of the last stations before people reached Christofano, awaiting with a needle and hope.

“I was very impressed. I was very excited to be a part of it and, most importantly, the best part of the day was seeing my grandma get her first shot,” Vickers said.

After learning about the shipment being rerouted to him, Christofano spent much of Feb. 13 sending notification emails that must have arrived like a winning lottery ticket to the lucky ones who got appointments for their first of two doses. All qualified under the Phase 1A of the state’s vaccination plan, which prioritizes inoculations for those 65 and older and others with certain conditions, along with health care workers and select others.

Christofano personally has administered 2,800 shots so far. This week, he hopes to add another 1,670 as second doses — assuming he gets his anticipated supply from the state. Anyone who has already gotten a first shot through Hayden’s will receive notice if they are scheduled for a second dose. He urged patience to those on still waiting on a call from the pharmacy, which has locations in Donegal Township, Mt. Pleasant and Youngwood.

Christofano said he is working with county commissioners on a potential larger scale immunization clinic, similar to what has been happening at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Being a local independent pharmacist, he sees the vaccinations as part of his role on the front lines — even if it can be tough to do while keeping up with a family-run business.

“I’m ingrained in the community,” he said. “I hope people realize … when we are past this pandemic, it was your community independent pharmacists that did this.”