Today in Archbold History: First COVID-19 Vaccines Administered

The COVID-19 pandemic presented the world’s healthcare facilities and providers with unprecedented challenges. More than 39,000 people were diagnosed with coronavirus in Archbold’s five-county area between 2020 and 2023. On December 18, 2020, five years ago today, Archbold administered its first vaccines to frontline clinical workers, marking a significant milestone in the fight against the virus.

It may be hard to already think of the pandemic as a historical event, but its impact on our team, our patients, our community, our nation, and the world was undoubtedly historic. The arrival of COVID-19 in the United States was confirmed in Washington state on January 19, 2020. Two months later, the first Archbold patients tested positive for COVID-19 on March 22.

The response of the Archbold team in serving the community during a time of dire need will never be forgotten. The support our community showed to the Archbold team and other frontline workers was nothing short of historic. It is impossible to recognize each person who made a positive difference during the pandemic, but this article recognizes moments of selfless service, enduring hope, and community support that provided a shining light to our team during a dark time. 

Early in the pandemic, a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), like masks, gowns, and face shields, plagued healthcare facilities nationwide. Members of our community quickly responded to assist and provide our team with the necessary items to serve their patients and protect their families. More than one hundred individuals and businesses volunteered to sew masks and assemble mask-making kits at Archbold.

The realities at our facilities were stark, and employees encouraged the public to act responsibly to curb the spread. In Mitchell County, team members held signs displaying a simple message: “We stayed at work for you, please stay at home and pray for us.” Don’t go out unmasked, wash your hands, don’t spray it, and no large gatherings: this was the plea from healthcare providers who witnessed the dangerous effects of the virus. Archbold Pediatrics-Camilla and a team of stuffed animals offered a playful message to their younger patients, encouraging them to stay “beary safe.”

The response of Archbold’s team and frontline workers throughout our community was hailed as heroic at the time. Our region will always remember the dedicated care that so many Archbold team members provided during this time.

Throughout the pandemic, community members made unprecedented steps to show their appreciation to our team. Children who were home from school drew pictures and notes of encouragement to Archbold’s “superheroes.” People showed their support by clapping for our team even when they couldn’t say thank you in person. On Easter Sunday, First Presbyterian Church erected a flower-covered cross at our employee entrance. Signage in storefronts and front yards thanked our “hometown heroes.” Chalk art and signs of support greeted employees entering Archbold facilities. Thousands and thousands of encouraging comments flooded Archbold’s social media platforms. Later, a healthcare hero pep rally brought together cheerleaders from TCCHS and Brookwood, as well as community members, to cheer on Archbold team members during shift change.

On May 12, 2020, the Thomasville Police Department formed a giant heart with 14 of their patrol cars in our parking lot to salute the Archbold team. Their flashing blue lights and waving flashlights were a powerful symbol that warmed the hearts of our frontline workers. These police officers were some of the countless “essential employees” who worked through the pandemic to keep our community safe.

The Feed the Fight initiative was one of the most popular ways individuals and businesses showed their appreciation to our team for their tireless efforts. Countless meals were donated to our staff in the form of “restaurant bucks” and gift cards. Some of the many businesses and organizations that donated to the Feed the Fight initiative are recognized at the bottom of this article. Donations of gift cards and meals from local restaurants lifted the spirits of our staff and supported small businesses as traffic decreased.

The Archbold COVID-19 Relief Fund, an initiative of the Archbold Foundation, supported the growing capital and operating needs across our system. Archbold’s nutrition services provider, then Morrison Healthcare, sold “we are in this together” t-shirts to raise money for the Thomas County Food Bank.

Even the armed forces stepped up to assist our facilities when needed. The Georgia National Guard’s 201^st Regional Support Group provided decontamination support at Archbold Living-Pelham. On May 15, 2020, the 75^th Fighter Squadron saluted our team and healthcare workers across the region with a flyover over Archbold Memorial. The flyover of two A-10 “Warthogs” was “our way to say thank you to the heroes fighting COVID-19,” said Captain Jack Ladd.

Each day on the job was an unprecedented challenge for our team. “New nurses grew up quickly and kept their chins up while they cried behind their masks. Who am I kidding? I cried with a lot of older nurses, too,” shared an ICU nurse.

But there were victories along the way. When Archbold Grady’s first COVID patient was released from the hospital, WTXL shared video of her triumphant exit. Her message of gratitude to the Archbold Grady staff was simple: “I love all of y'all, and I'm going to tell you: I'm going to brag on y'all from now until eternity.” The theme song from Rocky played as she was discharged. At Archbold Memorial, Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” was the sound of a patient being discharged who had beaten the virus. The “Thought of the Day” initiative allowed messages of inspiration or spiritual encouragement from Archbold team members and leaders to be read over the overhead speakers and shared online each day.

“My mind and heart are stunned at the rapid change in the face of our unit, but I cannot even begin to say how proud I am of my hospital. Nurses and techs from every department were floated to us just to help out, and every single one came with a ‘game on’ attitude…Our ED nurses are slammed in the face with this virus all day long, and yet they go and go and go, selflessly…Without a doubt, this was the worst and most exhausting stretch I’ve ever worked, but so much good can be found in this situation if we just look for it,” shared that same ICU nurse.

A significant step in the fight against COVID-19 was taken with the arrival of the first vaccines on December 18, 2020. Frontline healthcare employees were the first to receive the vaccine at Archbold. Our organization undertook a significant effort to vaccinate our team and our community in the following months. An additional shipment of 975 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived on December 21. Team members who received these early vaccines received a celebratory pin reading “I got my COVID-19 vaccine.”

Vaccine access was determined by the State of Georgia, depending on workplace and risk level. By January, vaccine access was expanded to members of the public aged 65 and older. Ellen, 106 years young, was among this group to step up and receive their COVID-19 vaccine. Local law enforcement and first responders were among the first to receive the vaccine. In March, school teachers and staff were eligible to receive the vaccine, and 400 were vaccinated on the first day.

Soon after, vaccines were made available to all adults in the state of Georgia. At hospital-based vaccine clinics and outreach locations across the region, Archbold administered nearly 40,000 vaccines by April 2022. Archbold team members stepped up to make vaccines accessible to those with barriers to travel, bringing mobile vaccine clinics to neighborhoods, workplaces, churches, and anywhere where people could be reached.

Vaccine access didn’t end the pandemic, but it made a serious difference in the lives of those who received it. On June 22, 2021, Archbold facilities had zero inpatient COVID-19 cases for the first time since the pandemic began. When cases rose again in the summer months 91% of all COVID-19 admissions were among individuals who were not fully vaccinated. Vaccine clinics continued, sometimes administering hundreds of doses a day. Archbold team members and community leaders stepped up to advocate for the vaccine and encourage their neighbors to get vaccinated.

Unprecedented, a word frequently repeated during the pandemic, well summarized the situation at our hospital and around the world. The virus was a contributing factor in the death of more than 7,000 of our friends, family members, and neighbors in our region. We lost family members, friends, and members of the Archbold team to the pandemic.

The loss experienced in our community and around the nation is unimaginable, but the dedicated service of Archbold’s healthcare teams and other frontline workers continues to inspire us. Archbold team members worked tirelessly through the hardest days of the pandemic to serve their neighbors when our community needed it most.

This historic account is dedicated to the memory of those our community lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and in gratitude of the brave and compassionate care Archbold team members consistently provided through it all.

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While this is not an exhaustive list, some of the many businesses and organizations that donated to the Feed the Fight initiative, providing meals and gift cards to frontline healthcare employees as they worked through the COVID-19 pandemic, include:

CCH Construction, the Thomasville-Thomas County Chamber of Commerce, Ponder’s Office Supply, The Williams Family Foundation, Adele Creative, Downtown Thomasville, KeySouth Real Estate Group, Thomasville Chick-fil-A, Southwest Georgia Farm Credit, Chandler’s Drive-In, TC Federal Bank, Flowers Foods, Collins Pecan, Horne Candy & Paper Inc., Southland Construction Contractors, Thomasville Toyota, the Georgia Association of Realtors, Victory Fellowship Church, Ashley Furniture Homestore, AT&T, SunTrust Bank (Truist), United Way of Thomas County, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Hands on Thomas County, Project Backyard, the Thomasville City Council, Three Toms Tavern, the City of Thomasville, New Hire Solutions, Blackwater Timber Company, All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Heart & Soul Catering & Baking, Thomasville National Bank, Thomasville High School JROTC, Christ Community Presbyterian Church and Thomasville Christian School, Brookwood School, Brian Bauer and Jay Flowers, Diablo’s Southwest Grill, and Rambler Rose Garden Club.

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Archbold’s official centennial history book, A Century of Healing: Centennial Reflections on the John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital, was written by C.L. Bragg in real time during the pandemic. The book contains first-hand accounts of the fight against COVID-19 and recognizes this era as one of the most significant in Archbold’s 100-year history. For more information about A Century of Healing and to find out where it is sold, please visit www.archbold.org/book.