LONG BEACH, Calif. — The Veteran’s Affairs Long Beach Health Care System is working around the clock to administer vaccines to eligible veterans in Southern California.
Rick Remelin says he's grateful to be one of the first in his age group to fit the VA's criteria and get a call that his vaccine was ready.
Just steps away from a safer future, Remelin took a second to reflect on his past. The veteran is proud of his service in the Army.
"People don’t realize what sacrifices these men and women make, really truly. It’s humbling," Remelin said.
It's a sacrifice the doctors and nurses at the VA Long Beach Health Care System don’t take lightly. Pelavi Mandalia is the chief nurse of primary care. She says her team has been working around the clock, seven days a week since December to vaccinate their most vulnerable heroes.
"This whole year has been tough on everyone and we’ve seen so many deaths and we can get back to normal, whatever normal is and I’ve had personal losses to COVID, and I think it’s—I’ve been very passionate about it," said Mandalia. "I’m happy to say our team is excellent. I can’t say enough about our team.”
At this point, nurses are administering nearly 1,000 vaccines a day, but there's still a long way to go. The Long Beach VA serves about 50,000 veterans. For now, they only have enough vaccines for the vets, like Rick, who are 75 and older or essential workers.
It’s been a challenging process because the demand is much higher than the supply and staff has no idea how many vaccines they’ll be getting from the federal government in any given week. On top of that, Pelavi says there’s also a short, six-hour window until the 11 vaccines in each open vial expire.
"We’re in constant communication. 'Hey, this person no-showed, this person canceled.' So it’s important that if they are scheduled for the vaccinations, people do show up for the vaccinations," she said.
Remelin says he wouldn’t miss it for the world. When he filled out the VA's survey online, he expected he’d have to wait up to six months but got an email two weeks later to come in for this first dose.
"Thank you, you might’ve saved my life—really," Remelin said to the nurse when he received his vaccine.
Appreciation like Remelin's makes this all worth it for nurses like Pelavi, who say they feed their soul by taking care of people just like him.
"It’s worth it. My daughter tells me, 'Mom, do you have to work today for COVID?' And I say yes I do. That’s something that she can take when she’s older that my mom has had a hand in this, so it’s very important for me to show her as well," she said.
After nearly a year of living with a certain uneasiness that this virus could capture his health at any moment, Remelin says he can start to return to life as he knew it.
"The journey of 1,000 miles starts with one step. So this was step No. 1," he laughed.
The VA says the criteria for who can come in to receive a vaccination is constantly updating.
Currently, they are only accepting veterans who are 75 or older or essential workers.
To sign up to receive a vaccine at the Long Beach location, all veterans must be enrolled in Health Care at this site. For more information on where to sign up, visit va.gov.