Vaccinated senior living residents help with clinic

Residents of The Highlands of Wyomissing know how it feels to

be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. They now want to help the community experience those same feelings.

The continuing care retirement community and West Reading’s Esterbrook Pharmacy have partnered together to host community vaccination clinics at The Highlands for those currently eligible as part of the state’s Phase 1A group. The most recent two-day clinic started Monday and will continue Tuesday with the goal of vaccinating up to 1,300 community members with the Pfizer

vaccine.

Including this week’s clinic, Kevin DeAcosta, president and CEO of The Highlands at Wyomissing, said they will be close to having administered 3,000 doses of vaccine through the clinics so far.

Residents give back

Running a smooth and efficient clinic, particularly with COVID safety precautions in place, requires many moving parts and a number of staff and volunteers. In addition to pharmacy and

The Highlands staff members, community residents have volunteered their time to help with the clinics.

“Living here at The Highlands has been a gift, during this entire pandemic,” said Pat Gernert, 88. “The Highlands is a gift which fills us with gratitude because they kept us in a bubble of safety. It’s the gift they gave us to keep us safe and then when the vaccine became available it filled us with gratitude again.”

Gernert said the vaccine has given her more freedom as she

feels safer going out again, such as going into the drug store or using the drive-thru at her bank. She now wants to give that same freedom to others.

“I’m volunteering now, it’s what you do, giving back,” she said. “There’s many ways to give back. You give back with your hands. You can give back with your checkbook. You can give back with your mind. It’s giving back, you live to give.”

Gernert volunteered at the second dose scheduling station dur

SHEA SINGLEY — READING EAGLE The Highlands of Wyomissing residents, seated from front to back, Eve Kimball, Jane Bitner, Carol Duchynski and Diana Kleiner volunteer at the two-day COVID-19vaccine clinic on Monday. Sponsored by The Highlands and Esterbrook Pharmacy in West Reading, the goal of the clinic is to vaccinate up to 1,300community members.