SUPER HEROES AMONG US
( continued from page 11 ) life-saving vaccines .
Working with volunteers presents unique challenges , and we quickly learned who our most-talented and most-reliable volunteers were , with Dr . Regina Puno quickly establishing herself as a real superstar ! Many of our volunteers came in with a specific job in mind , planning to serve as an injector and directly administer vaccine shots to patients . Despite her qualifications , Regina was always willing to serve in any role , with no job too big or too small . She ultimately settled into a semi-permanent position in our pharmacy station , where she drew up doses into syringes to be distributed to the injectors . At a mass vaccination site , this step is the bottleneck ; it takes more time than you might expect , and it is unexpectedly difficult to perform this task accurately . A small core of volunteers , including Regina , became the heart of the pharmacy station and LouVax would have struggled tremendously without them . My guess is that no one in Kentucky has drawn up more doses of COVID-19 vaccines .
Leading LouVax was truly an honor for me ; the program – and its volunteers ! – deserve every one of the accolades received . I have many fond memories from this time , and many of them include Dr . Regina Puno . Here are just a few :
All volunteers at LouVax were required to wear safety vests for visibility … they were working around vehicles , after all ! There were blue vests for some clinical leadership positions , orange ones for the operational leaders , and green vests to identify members of the media . But it was the ubiquitous yellow vest worn by our front-line volunteers that became most associated with our site . Management of the vests for such a number of people was no small undertaking , as they had to be passed out and collected every four hours when volunteers changed shifts and had to be laundered each day . The vests do come in multiple sizes , but they were designed to be worn over winter clothing , so they skewed large . Regina , petite as she is , was swallowed up by these Large or XL vests . So , she took it upon herself to order some that would fit her . After that , her vest was a fashion accessory , not a tripping hazard .
Regina served as the unofficial social chair for the pharmacy station . When a new person showed up to volunteer , she was the first to introduce herself , and then she would make sure the newbie was acquainted with everyone else working that shift . Often , she would find a connection , a mutual friend or previous coworker who served as a starting point for conversation . She also brought in a Bluetooth speaker so that the pharmacy station would have background music all day . Last but definitely not least , she was the snack fairy , constantly adding to the candy supply and encouraging anyone and everyone to have some . Not just one bite , either ; take a handful so you have some for later !
Raised Catholic , Regina also values the practice of mindfulness . One morning , I was making my morning rounds , checking in with each station . It was my first day back after an illness , and I was moving slowly . Regina motioned me over and I sat down beside her at the biosafety hood . She motioned to the neat line of Moderna vial caps alongside her workspace . “ Each time I put one of these down , I say an intention ,” she told me . “ This set was for you .” I will carry this small gesture in my heart forever .
I recently had the opportunity to meet with Regina and relive some of these memories . Her favorite part of working at LouVax was , she said , meeting all the different people . There were reunions with other retired health care professionals , and there were new friends from all walks of life – pilots and bartenders , stagehands and homemakers . “ It must have been fate ,” she said , “ to get just the right people , all in the right place . I ’ ve learned about different parts of our community that I didn ’ t know before . The community really did this together !”
Finally , when asked what motivated her to spend hundreds of hours working for free , she had this to say : “ I ’ ve always been happiest when working hard and making a real , positive difference , but I tend to cringe when I ’ m placed in the spotlight .” You did make a difference , Dr . Puno … thanks for letting me give you a moment in the sun .
Dr . SarahBeth Hartlage is the Associate Medical Director for the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness .
12 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE