Published: February 2, 2021
LANSING, MI – Sparrow is approaching a milestone of distributing or allocating 30,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the community and many are expressing relief and gratitude for the protection, including 95-year-old Revella Smith and Holt High School teacher Marty Schnepp.
Smith, of Westphalia, received her first dose of the vaccine on Jan. 19 at the Sparrow Laboratories Drive-Thur Services Site at Frandor and said the process was “wonderful.”
“I can’t wait to get my other one now. I would advise anyone to go there and get it done.”
Having lived closed to a century, Smith has been through some health scares, such as a scarlet fever outbreak that affected her family decades ago. But she’s now upbeat about the future and how the COVID virus is being addressed.
So is Schnepp, 54, who lives in East Lansing and teaches math at Holt. He has two chronically ill children so is used to dealing with patient portals. He said Sparrow’s MySparrow portal, used for vaccine registration, is “fantastic. It’s the best portal I’ve used. It was easy to navigate and easy to sign up for an appointment.”
Schnepp was vaccinated along with other Holt teachers, and those from many other local districts, who fall in the Priority 1B group.
“It was a huge relief as we ramp up to go back to instruction that we’re starting down the road to something safer,” he said.
As of midnight Friday, Sparrow has received a total of 29,950 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 99 percent of them had been used or allocated to members of the public in the 1B group. Sparrow is scheduling clinics based on the weekly allotment we receive. The Sparrow Laboratories Drive-Thru Services Site is located at 3131 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing.
Besides older adults, the 1B group includes frontline essential workers, such as law enforcement, firefighters, shelter workers, teachers and child care workers. Vaccines are by appointment only.
There is no charge to the public for the vaccine. All administrative costs, for staffing and supplies, will be billed to insurance. Patients will not be billed for any balance not covered by insurance and those without insurance will not be charged.
On Friday, 1,139 vaccines were given at Sparrow. In all, 63 percent of Sparrow caregivers have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 4,570 are fully vaccinated (both doses).
Among the 29,950 vaccine doses Sparrow has received, 2,450 have gone to Sparrow Clinton Hospital, 1,900 for Sparrow Ionia, 1,400 for Sparrow Eaton, and 800 for Sparrow Carson.
Sparrow has been a national leader in COVID-19 patient care and testing, becoming one of the first hospitals in Michigan to offer tests for inpatients and using innovative processes to increase access and availability. Our Frandor drive-thru site alone has processed over 100,000 tests.
Sparrow has also been nationally recognized for its innovative COVID patient visitation policy in which a family member or friend is allowed to visit patients on a limited basis wearing personal protective equipment and following strict safety procedures.
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Sparrow is Mid-Michigan’s premier healthcare organization and includes hospitals in Lansing, Carson City, Charlotte, Ionia and St. Johns, as well as Physicians Health Plan, Sparrow Care Network, Sparrow Medical Group, the Michigan Athletic Club, and AL!VE. Sparrow is affiliated with Michigan Medicine through the Sparrow Children’s Center and with Michigan State University’s three human health colleges. Through these partnerships and the dedication of our 10,000 Caregivers, Sparrow pursues a vision to be nationally recognized as a leader in quality and Patient experience. For more information, visit Sparrow.org.