OSWEGO COUNTY – Retired medical personnel across the country have come out to serve on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Oswego County recognizes Deb Patterson, RN for her help in the local effort.
“Deb is a registered nurse who retired from Crouse Health in 2016,” said Danielle Carlone, public health sanitarian for the Oswego County Health Department. “She has been actively involved in COVID-19 efforts in both Oswego to Onondaga counties. After seeing the need for volunteers, she decided to lend a hand and started with her prior employer at Crouse Hospital.”
Since then, Patterson has participated as a vaccinator at Oswego County COVID-19 clinics held at G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton, SUNY Oswego and the County Health Department. Outside of COVID-19 activities, she also volunteers with The Youth Rally, a community that provides an environment for adolescents living with conditions of the bowel and bladder that encourages self-confidence and independent living.
Patterson said that when she started volunteering at Crouse Health, she monitored the temperatures of those coming into the hospital. Later, she was recruited to help Oswego County with their vaccination clinics.
When asked to reflect on her volunteer experience, Patterson said, “The positive attitude of the people coming to get vaccinated as well as those who are working these clinics make this experience memorable.”
Like many other volunteers, Patterson continues to stress the importance of people getting vaccinated.
“Public health is trying to help a community in a variety of ways,” she said. “Vaccination is only one area. Getting information out to the public is just as necessary.”
Oswego County Health Department is grateful for the countless volunteers and their extraordinary dedication to helping with the COVID-19 effort. Their support has helped the department’s critical operations run as smoothly as they have.
“We continue the fight against COVID-19 with a group of amazing individuals who are ready for any challenge,” said Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang. “We have been recruiting volunteers since March 2020 and Deb has been with us since the beginning. She has shown us that she is prepared for whatever the next task will be.”
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 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
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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