On Sept. 25, Marlena Venturini and Danielle MacPherson were given the Community Hero Award. They were nominated by Danielle’s husband Brian MacPherson.
These Community Heroes are the unsung heroes who are not looking for special recognition for the work they do; they just have the character to go above and beyond when the situation rises, and Marlena and Danielle are definitely part of that group. These two amazing individuals were part of the team who were instrumental in planning and organizing the Covid vaccination clinics in North Attleborough and surrounding areas such as the Clinic on 152, Sturdy Hospital, North Attleborough and Plainville.
Both quick to point out it was under the leadership of Dr. Brian Patel, Chief of Emergency Services & Associate Chief Quality Officer for Sturdy Hospital, who had the daunting task of guiding them through the daily changes the clinics had to undertake as they began, often adjusting multiple times a day as new information and vaccines came into play. Volunteers who worked at these clinics were the nurses and staff members from doctor offices and emergency care clinics in the area, working extra hours for free to help mitigate the Covid outbreak.
Danielle and Marlena were working 60-70 hours a week from January through April along with their teams to keep these clinics operating, having to overcome the early hurdles of only 100 vaccines available to finally getting the big push of 1,100 doses being available a day. When asked how they were received at these clinics, they said seeing the people they were helping were all so grateful, and seeing them smile, cry, and thank them for the chance to see their families again made it all worth it.
Although they do find the rise in cases due to the Delta variant distressing they felt confident that the clinics would be ready to re-open and offer the community the same level of exceptional care if needed for the booster shots. They suggest going to sturdymemorial.org to follow when booster shots will be available. The award is presented by The Laughing Shield Comic Shop, Ashworth Awards, and DANA.
