Heinz Field vaccination clinic is ‘game-changer’ for city schools
Nick Galore has been a custodian with the Pittsburgh Public Schools for more than 20 years, but the past year was different than all the others.
The 62-year-old has continued to work at Carrick High School — where he cleans and sanitizes classrooms and hallways — despite the risks of COVID-19.
Sometimes, he admits, working during the pandemic has been “scary,” but a trip to Heinz Field on Thursday to get the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine helped to alleviate a lot of his fears.
“I feel better now that I got the shot,” he said. “This is my first shot. I have to come back April 1 for my follow-up shot.”
Mr. Galore was among about 3,000 Pittsburgh Public Schools staff members and partner organization employees who were to receive their first dose of the twoshot Pfizer vaccine this week at the clinic run by Giant Eagle. About 1,500 vaccinations were
administered Thursday, with another 1,500 expected Friday.
Another 1,400 Pittsburgh Public Schools staffers and adjacent employees were expected to receive the onedose Johnson & Johnson vaccine Thursday through Sunday at a clinic run by the Pittsburgh-Mount Oliver Intermediate Unit at Obama Traditional Academy in East Liberty.
The district said that between the two clinics, all Pittsburgh Public Schools staff members who want a vaccine will have the opportunity by the end of the week.
Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said the partnership between the district and Giant Eagle developed quickly, with the O’Harabased grocery and pharmacy chain approaching school officials last Friday. Mr. Hamlet said the district — which is set to reopen to students in April after more than a year in a remote model — jumped on the opportunity.
“I’m just so excited that the employees who want to get vaccinated have the opportunity to be vaccinated,” he said. “It’s a quick turnaround, we made it happen for them. The team got together, crunched the numbers, did the surveys, got the information back, and now we’re rolling.”
Mr. Hamlet said the partnership with Giant Eagle was a “game-changer” and helped to lift some of the “burden” from him at a time when it was unclear whether all district staff would be able to be inoculated before schools reopened. Teacher shortages due to leaves of absence over virus concerns were one of the major roadblocks the district faced when trying to reopen buildings.
“I was concerned, especially because Pennsylvania was behind the eight ball on vaccinations,” he said. “We heard about other states where teachers and educators are being vaccinated, but [some Phase] 1A folks are still not getting vaccinated in Pennsylvania, so we’re glad that it sped up.”
Victor Vercammen, Giant Eagle’s chief pandemic officer, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contacted the grocer to see what it could do to support President Joe Biden’s initiative to accelerate vaccine access to school staff.
Giant Eagle decided to start with the Pittsburgh Public Schools, Mr. Vercammen said, because it’s the largest district in the region. Staff members in other area school districts will be able receive vaccinations at the clinic starting Monday, he said, with appointments opening up Friday on Giant Eagle’s website.
The federal government supplied Giant Eagle with the vaccines for teachers through a pharmacy program so that ongoing Phase 1A vaccinations would not be interrupted.
“To make it clear, this was not taking away from another group,” Mr. Vercammen said. “This was new supply that was specifically allocated by the federal government for an educational initiative. Those that are elderly, those that have chronic medical conditions, will still be able to make an appointment for immunization in our community pharmacies or here at Heinz Field.”
Staff members from other schools around Allegheny County also started receiving vaccines Thursday at a clinic at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s offices in The Waterfront in Homestead. AIU spokeswoman Sarah McCluan said the process was going smoothly, and the clinic was on track to inoculate 7,400 school employees through next Thursday. Staffers who do not receive a vaccine will have appointments scheduled for later this month or in April when more doses of the vaccine become available, according to the AIU.
Thursday at Heinz Field, Baylie McGrady sat in the observation area after getting immunized and awaiting to be clear to leave.
The 23-year-old employee of Center of Life in Hazelwood, a city school partner organization that has served as a learning hub during the pandemic, said her colleagues and students had been careful, but contracting the virus had remained a constant worry for her.
Getting the vaccine, she said, helped to take away some of that stress.
“This is such an amazing opportunity because now we can have just a little bit more peace of mind that at least our staff will be vaccinated,” Ms. McGrady said. “A lot of us are very young, and we weren’t going to be at the top of the list to get the vaccine. So without this opportunity for PPS faculty and affiliates, we wouldn’t have gotten the vaccine until who knows when.”