OSWEGO COUNTY – Oswego County continues to honor the volunteers who have joined forces with its Health Department in the battle against COVID-19.
This week, Dr. Ivan Proano is recognized for his contributions at the mass vaccination clinics held at G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton and the smaller clinics held at various migrant camps.
“Vaccination clinics are a crucial part of protecting our communities from COVID-19,” said Danielle Carlone, public health sanitarian for the Oswego County Health Department. “It’s important to ensure that vaccines are available to everyone, so we must consider any potential barriers for individuals or groups to receive the care and services they need. Dr. Proano has expanded his volunteer efforts to help a variety of diverse populations across the county.”
Dr. Christina Liepke, medical director for the Oswego County Health Department added, “Dr. Proano has such a big heart, it has been a blessing to have his help with the COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Many of our staff members have commented to me about how fun and wonderful it has been to work with him.”
Proano is a retired ophthalmologist who ran his own practice and was affiliated with Oswego Hospital. He is also a volunteer with the Oswego County Search & Rescue Team and currently training to be an EMT with the Hannibal Volunteer Fire Department.
When asked about his volunteer experience, Proano said, “The County Health Department has gone the extra mile to make it easy for people to get vaccinated and I’ve been able to help them in a small way with our migrant population. Being an immigrant myself and able to speak Spanish, I can contribute to the cause by helping those who are not fluent in English through the vaccination process.”
He added, “Public health is trying to do the greatest good for the greatest amount of people and that is what the health department does. I had a different approach in my office where I was treating people one-on-one; but now, with the coronavirus, the concept is to treat as many people as we can.”
Proano will continue his volunteer efforts with the Oswego County Health Department by helping homeless and migrant camp populations through vaccination clinics.
The Oswego County Health Department is thankful for all of the dedicated and amazing volunteers who have come out to help.
“Their support has helped our critical operations run as smoothly as they have,” said Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang. “Volunteers have participated in vaccination clinics, answered phones and questions on the Oswego County COVID-19 Hotline, made homemade masks for the community, and many other helpful tasks.”
The Health Department continues to recruit both medical and non-medical volunteers for upcoming COVID-19 vaccination and testing clinics.
Non-medical volunteers are needed to register and screen people who are being vaccinated, manage flow control, and help with other activities. People with a medical background can help with COVID-19 vaccinations and testing. They can monitor patients and provide emergency medical assistance.
Those interested can fill out a form on the county’s COVID-19 page and provide information about their availability, areas of interest and related information. Those with a medical background must also provide information about their medical license or CPR certification.
The application form is posted on the health department’s COVID-19 page at https://health.oswegocounty.com/information/2019_novel_coronavirus/medical_volunteering.php
For more information, go to the Oswego County Health Department’s COVID-19 page at health.oswegocounty.com/covid-19 or call its COVID-19 Hotline at 315-349-3330. Phone lines are open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Oswego County will transition its “Volunteer of the Week” program to a bi-weekly notice as it continues to highlight its generous helpers.
Under New York State Public Health Law, the Oswego County Health Department is the local public health authority regarding the COVID-19 pandemic response within the County of Oswego. The Oswego County Health Department works closely with New York State Department of Health regarding COVID-19 monitoring, response and reporting.
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