Dosher administers first COVID-19 vaccines to healthcare workers

SOUTHPORT NC (WWAY) — Dosher Memorial Hospital’s CEO and Chief Medical Officer was among the first of Dosher’s frontline team members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Brad Hilaman described it as a ‘significant moment’ on Tuesday.

“We have faith that this is a turning point in the trajectory of the pandemic,” said Hilaman, who, in addition to his leadership role at Dosher, is a frontline physician in the Dosher Wound Care Center and in the operating room.

Dosher, which received their first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine last week, has scheduled sessions for employees to receive the first of the two dose series of the vaccine, which is separated by 28 days, beginning this week.

“We are grateful that we can provide this protection to our employees, who have remained extremely dedicated through the stressors and uncertainty that the Coronavirus has brought to the healthcare world and to our community,” said Linda Stanley, President of Dosher Memorial Hospital and Foundation.

Dosher’s employee vaccination schedule staggers staff members from different departments, as a precaution to possible side effects, to ensure that all service lines remain fully operational, Dosher said in a news release.

State and federal public health officials advise that the COVID-19 vaccine be administered in phases, beginning with those most at risk, such as frontline healthcare workers. No word yet as to when vaccines will be accessible to Dosher’s clinic patients.