Shadi Doroudgar, PharmD, APh, BCPS, BCGP, BCPP
Charles Raynor PharmD, is the Director of Pharmacy Services and a clinical psychiatric pharmacist for Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services (ACBH) in the Northern California Bay Area. In recent months, Dr. Raynor recognized the tremendous challenge and opportunity that existed in providing the COVID-19 vaccine to high-risk patients with mental illness and substance use disorder in the California Bay Area. Dr. Raynor’s innovative problem-solving, strong work ethic, and dedication to serving the underserved community led to the success of this truly admirable endeavor.
When Dr. Raynor first heard about the county’s distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines, he grew concerned that patients with mental illness, often at high risk of COVID-19 infection, would be left behind due to the many barriers they would have to accessing the vaccine. Mental illness poses unique challenges for some, including difficulty with access to vaccination, lower health literacy, and cognitive impairment.
Recognizing these challenges, Dr. Raynor collaborated with his team including the Medical Director, Program Manager, Clinic Manager, and nurses to establish COVID-19 vaccination sites. He started with zip codes with the highest COVID-19 infection rates to identify clients with mental illness in impoverished areas. He then set out with his teammate, social worker and Clinic Manager, Michelle Lewis LCSW, to target the most at-risk population. He was able to quickly set up vaccination clinics to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to the most vulnerable patient populations with mental illness.
With the rapport that the social worker had with the patients and his own clinical expertise, Dr. Raynor was able to connect with many suffering from mental illness and to provide the COVID-19 vaccine in a timely and efficient manner. Given this team effort, Dr. Raynor vaccinated 243 clients in 26 board and care sites in their home yards, 400-500 clinic clients, and thousands of clients residing in various sites including long term care settings, substance use disorder housing, homeless shelters, and homeless encampments.
Dr. Raynor’s organized, systematic approach and dedication of many hours contributed to the success of this important, life-saving initiative. He describes his process of targeting one to three homes early in the morning every day to make sure that they reached as many clients as possible. Then, in the afternoons, he would visit long term care facilities and shelters. Given the additional workload of the mass vaccination effort, Dr. Raynor often had to tend to his own work responsibilities as the Director of Pharmacy Services in the after hours and evenings. However, he says he did not mind this as he felt extremely content and fulfilled with this experience.
This initiative was a rewarding volunteer experience in many ways. The clients have been very appreciative and receptive to the efforts and vaccine hesitancy was low. Dr. Raynor fondly remembers an encounter with a board and care operator who had tears in her eyes, recalling family members and friends who had passed away during the pandemic. She had been very grateful that she was not left as last in line to receive the vaccine. Experiences like these, bring a sense of contentment and make the many long hours of volunteering and dedication worth it. Dr. Raynor has received so much positive feedback from the clients, with many already looking forward to receiving their booster vaccines from him and his team starting this week.