HOUSTON – During a time when healthcare workers are making history every day on the front lines of fighting the global pandemic, Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) alumnus Howard Green ‘00, MBA, BSN, RN, is also leaving his mark another way. The U.S. Coast Guard veteran and emergency department nurse manager was the first employee to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center.
(Facebook/Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center)
The VA hospital received almost 3,000 doses of the vaccine and immediately began to immunize its workforce. Green received his first dose in December and followed up with the second dose this month. “It is my sincerest hope that many will see me and others like me taking the vaccine and believing in the science behind it, and it will motivate and encourage them to take it,” Green said.
“Vaccinating our frontline staff protects our patients by keeping their health care providers in the fight and ensuring that they don’t catch COVID and pass it on,” said the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in a statement.
Slowing the spread of the pandemic is important to Green because he sees the effects, firsthand, each day at work. “It has been a rollercoaster ride during these times of need for so many people who have been laid off, contracted the illness, and been displaced in some way by this pandemic,” he said. His goal is to do his part to help where he can. Green’s military background guides his sense of honor to help and serve, and he hopes others will also do what they can.
As a frontline healthcare worker, Green oversees the daily operations of the emergency department at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston and manages more than 100 employees. In addition to his administrative duties as nurse manager, Green interacts and assists with patient care to ensure each staff member performs at their highest level.
Green received the Pfizer vaccine, one of two currently approved vaccines, as part of the first tier of distribution. This initial stage of vaccinations is reserved for frontline healthcare workers who are actively working with patients who may be infected with COVID-19. Each vial of the vaccination contains six injectable doses that must remain frozen at an extremely low temperature until they are used. His colleagues ensured that six people were ready and available for the vaccine before retrieving the multi-dose vial, and he was the first to receive a shot in his arm.
Like most people who have been vaccinated, Green says the side effects were mild. He reports only a mild headache that he says probably happened because he hadn’t eaten earlier in the day, rather than being caused by the vaccine. The headache quickly disappeared as soon as he had a meal. Encouraging others to have the vaccine is a top priority for Green. “When I was vaccinated, there were only a few of us that initially wanted the injection, but that soon changed after many of my colleagues saw that we took it,” he said.
(Facebook/Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center)
Earning a degree from PVAMU launched Green’s career, and he is grateful for the experiences he had as a student. After graduating from the College of Nursing in the spring of 2000 with a bachelor’s degree, Green was able to use his talents to make a difference in the community. “Prairie View A&M University offers the best nursing program in the U.S., if you ask me. The staff at Prairie View works hard, and they are dedicated to producing the best nurses to place in the medical field,” he said.
Widespread vaccinations are the path to defeating the pandemic, and Green hopes people will come forward to receive the shot. “We must do everything we can to help make change for others to prevent further damage to our education system, social interactions, losses in business, and all other aspects in the general populace,” said Green. “I believe that together we can achieve so much.”
By Angie Frederickson
-PVAMU-