MEDICAL LAKE – Doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrived at Eastern State Hospital near Spokane on Monday, December 28 and staff deemed to be at the highest risk of exposure will begin being vaccinated today.
“The ability to provide a vaccine to our frontline staff at Eastern is the result of a lot of behind-the-scenes work done by employees at every level of DSHS,” said Sean Murphy, DSHS Assistant Secretary for the Behavioral Health Administration. “It is an honor to work alongside the team of nurses and pharmacy, infection-control, logistics and command staff who have worked tirelessly to get the COVID-19 vaccine to our frontline workers who are at most risk of exposure to the virus.”
The Department of Social and Health Services, the agency that oversees both Eastern and Western state hospitals, worked closely with the Department of Health to apply for and receive the vaccine for its frontline workers at the highest risk of exposure to the virus due to their work at a 24/7 facility.
Eastern State Hospital has seven employees who have the virus currently. A total of 72 staff members have contracted the virus in the past several months. One nurse who had worked at Eastern for decades, who had contracted COVID-19 outside of work, succumbed to the virus in April.
Currently, there is one active case of the virus amongst patients at Eastern. A total of 19 clients have recovered from COVID-19 at the Medical Lake facility.
Receiving the vaccine by DSHS staff is voluntary. The agency has a website that tracks COVID-19 amongst staff and clients at the agency’s 24/7 facilities that is updated regularly.
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