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Curbing COVID: One Public Health Care System’s Approach toward Community Immunity
Darcy Davis discusses how HCD Palm Beach County mobilized their efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic in their community.
Featuring:
Prior to joining the District, Ms. Davis served in executive level positions including Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for a complex academic medical center and she has held other key financial and operational roles over her 25 years in the healthcare industry.
Ms. Davis serves on America’s Essential Hospitals’ Strategic Planning Committee, and the United Way of Palm Beach County’s Hunger Relief Advisory Council. She also served as a proviso member of the county’s Sober Home Task Force. in 2018, Governor Rick Scott appointed Ms. Davis to the Palm Beach State College District Board of Trustees where she served for three years.
Annually for the past five years, the South Florida Business Journal has recognized Ms. Davis as a Power Leader in Healthcare and in 2017 as one of South Florida’s Most Influential Executives. In 2021 and 2019, she was honored by the Palm Beach County Medical Society as a “Hero in Medicine”.
Ms. Davis earned her BBA in Accounting from Mercer University and her MSM in Healthcare Administration from Troy State University. She holds an inactive license as a Certified Public Accountant in Georgia and Tennessee.
Darcy Davis
Darcy J. Davis is the Chief Executive Officer of the Health Care District of Palm Beach County and its subsidiary operations. Ms. Davis joined the Health Care District in July 2011 and has served in several roles of increasing responsibility, including Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer, prior to her promotion to the top executive role. Ms. Davis was named CEO by the Health Care District Board of Commissioners in February 2016.Prior to joining the District, Ms. Davis served in executive level positions including Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for a complex academic medical center and she has held other key financial and operational roles over her 25 years in the healthcare industry.
Ms. Davis serves on America’s Essential Hospitals’ Strategic Planning Committee, and the United Way of Palm Beach County’s Hunger Relief Advisory Council. She also served as a proviso member of the county’s Sober Home Task Force. in 2018, Governor Rick Scott appointed Ms. Davis to the Palm Beach State College District Board of Trustees where she served for three years.
Annually for the past five years, the South Florida Business Journal has recognized Ms. Davis as a Power Leader in Healthcare and in 2017 as one of South Florida’s Most Influential Executives. In 2021 and 2019, she was honored by the Palm Beach County Medical Society as a “Hero in Medicine”.
Ms. Davis earned her BBA in Accounting from Mercer University and her MSM in Healthcare Administration from Troy State University. She holds an inactive license as a Certified Public Accountant in Georgia and Tennessee.
Transcription:
Robin Kish: Across the country, public and private health providers and all levels of government have joined forces in the fight against COVID-19 transmission. In South Florida, a unique public health care system launched its operation aimed at curbing COVID, first by setting up areas for mass testing, followed by walk-in mass vaccination sites.
Today, they're still going strong with mobile vaccination outreach. How do they do what they had never done before as the needs continue to change? Find out on this edition of Here For Your Health.
Welcome to the Health Care District of Palm Beach County's podcast, Here For Your Health. I'm your host, Robin Kish. Our guest today is Darcy J. Davis, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Care District of Palm Beach County, Florida. Thanks for joining us, Darcy.
Darcy Davis: Thank you for having me.
Robin Kish: Darcy, since December, the Health Care District, a unique public health care system, has provided over 200,000 COVID-19 tests and over 200,000 COVID-19 vaccinations for the public. Had the Health Care District ever mobilized like this before?
Darcy Davis: Absolutely not. I don't think actually in our lifetimes we've faced anything this significant. So no, we've never mobilized to this extent before.
Robin Kish: How big of an undertaking was this?
Darcy Davis: Well, it certainly touched every individual in our organization. So 1300 employees, you know, felt the wrath of the pandemic personally, but professionally. And to mobilize this type of a health care army, we also reached out to our partners and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue was a huge partner for us in terms of vaccination efforts. Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue supported us. The county helped provide all of the logistics. And then the United Way stepped up with volunteers. So not only did it touch everyone in our organization, but of course, it cut across a number of other partner agencies as well.
Robin Kish: What were supply and demand for COVID shots like at the beginning of your operations compared to now in spring of 2021?
Darcy Davis: Well, certainly in phase one, that's our crisis response mode and there was not enough supply for the demand. You know, there were a lot of very frustrated people who wanted the vaccine and couldn't get it. But we were very rigid about enforcing the governor's orders. And, you know, so we ultimately got through that, but very early on, it was a very uncomfortable, frustrating circumstance for a lot of people.
Robin Kish: The Health Care District operated testing sites across the county, including for a time at the ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm beach, as well as three mass vaccination sites in the northern, central and southern parts of the county. What kind of response have you received from the public?
Darcy Davis: Well, surprisingly, I guess, you know, but pleasantly, we actually had very positive response. We innovated and we made this a very simple experience for individuals. And I think the most important part was that we kept having feedback and we'd incorporate that feedback. So when some of the technology perhaps was a little complicated, we opened up phone lines. And we just continued to refine our process to the point where, you know, I think it's extremely simple. And an individual that will come into one of our sites may spend 20 minutes maximum. And that includes 15 minutes of observation time, so a very simple process. And I think people were very pleased with how easy it was to get it done.
Robin Kish: At the largest site at the South Florida fairgrounds, your medical team along with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue vaccinated 4,000 individuals in one day. That's pretty impressive. But you had the foresight to plan for the time when there would be more vaccines and arms to put them in. Darcy, at some point, did you have a high number of no-shows and appointments that were going unfilled?
Darcy Davis: We started seeing no-shows and unfilled appointments, but it actually happened quite suddenly. In fact, the first week of April, I think the county was saturated with vaccine and that was the week when a number of private providers, physician offices, urgent care offices and, of course, the retail market started receiving vaccine in addition to what we had received. So it happened very quickly because a lot of other locations made themselves available to people.
Robin Kish: So I understand the Health Care District has three mobile clinics named Hero, Warrior and Scout. How are these mobile units being rolled out to support the next phase of the health care district's vaccination operation?
Darcy Davis: So we actually started with the mobile units as the mass sites were getting mobilized. But in that space, we really went and parked and it was a fixed location. As we're moving into this third phase, we're trying to get out into the community to target those vaccine-hesitant populations. So we're looking to partner with faith leaders, employers, other influential community members that might help get some of those vaccine-hesitant individuals to take the shot.
Robin Kish: What neighborhoods and populations do you hope to reach?
Darcy Davis: So we're starting to with data, because I think it's really important to see where the vaccine hasn't proliferated yet. So we're looking at the data to see what neighborhoods have almost a vaccine desert, so to speak. ZIP code information will help lead us to those community leaders. And from there, we'll start scheduling dates and times where we can make ourselves available.
Robin Kish: The local newspaper dubbed the effort the "Herd Immunity Express." What do you think of that title?
Darcy Davis: I love it. I think that's great actually. Very clever.
Robin Kish: What do you want to tell listeners who may be holding off getting the vaccine?
Darcy Davis: You know, what I would recommend is that they go speak to someone that they trust. You know, whether that's a faith leader, a physician, a family member, speak to someone they trust who had the vaccine themselves and find out what it was that convinced that individual to get the vaccine.
I don't think it helps to really push, push, push, you know, myself or, you know, someone because they really need to have that, the confidence that who they're speaking to carries weight with them and is really going to make a difference for them. So I would send them back to somebody they know and trust.
Robin Kish: For those who have been vaccinated, Darcy, what do you recommend they do to protect their COVID-19 vaccination record cards?
Darcy Davis: So the first thing is take a picture of it, so it's on your phone and has the pertinent data on it. That way, you will always have that information. But there's a lot of contradictory conversation out there, but I say, you know, do not laminate that card actually, contrary to what you may have heard. Do not laminate that card because you may need to get a booster at some point in the future and you need to keep that record together. So I would say put it in a safe place, but most importantly, take a picture of it.
Robin Kish: Darcy, you and your team have put in a lot of long hours to plan, execute and retool your operations. What has been the most gratifying part of the experience?
Darcy Davis: The personal stories have been amazingly gratifying. You know, I can visualize some of the faces of the people that I've spoken to personally. And, you know, in particular, one grandmother said to me, "I just got my shot. How many days is it until I can go hug my grandkids?" And, you know, things like that, where you realize how widespread and how impactful this virus has been on everyone's, you know, daily activities and their lives in such an emotional way. So hearing the hope that has come from them after getting that shot, it's kept us motivated and it's the reason we're doing this.
Robin Kish: Well, thank you, Darcy, for sharing your expertise and experience with us.
If you find this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channel and check out our full podcast library for topics of interest to you at healthcaredistrictpodcast.org. Let us know what you think. Your review helps us reach more people just like you.
Today's podcast is brought to you by the Health Care District of Palm Beach County. The Health Care District is a unique safety net health care system located in South Florida that provides county residents access to primary care, skilled nursing and hospital care, registered nurses in nearly all of the county's public schools and oversight of the county's trauma system, which includes operating two life-saving Trauma Hawk air ambulances. Learn more by visiting hcdpbc.org.
Robin Kish: Across the country, public and private health providers and all levels of government have joined forces in the fight against COVID-19 transmission. In South Florida, a unique public health care system launched its operation aimed at curbing COVID, first by setting up areas for mass testing, followed by walk-in mass vaccination sites.
Today, they're still going strong with mobile vaccination outreach. How do they do what they had never done before as the needs continue to change? Find out on this edition of Here For Your Health.
Welcome to the Health Care District of Palm Beach County's podcast, Here For Your Health. I'm your host, Robin Kish. Our guest today is Darcy J. Davis, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Care District of Palm Beach County, Florida. Thanks for joining us, Darcy.
Darcy Davis: Thank you for having me.
Robin Kish: Darcy, since December, the Health Care District, a unique public health care system, has provided over 200,000 COVID-19 tests and over 200,000 COVID-19 vaccinations for the public. Had the Health Care District ever mobilized like this before?
Darcy Davis: Absolutely not. I don't think actually in our lifetimes we've faced anything this significant. So no, we've never mobilized to this extent before.
Robin Kish: How big of an undertaking was this?
Darcy Davis: Well, it certainly touched every individual in our organization. So 1300 employees, you know, felt the wrath of the pandemic personally, but professionally. And to mobilize this type of a health care army, we also reached out to our partners and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue was a huge partner for us in terms of vaccination efforts. Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue supported us. The county helped provide all of the logistics. And then the United Way stepped up with volunteers. So not only did it touch everyone in our organization, but of course, it cut across a number of other partner agencies as well.
Robin Kish: What were supply and demand for COVID shots like at the beginning of your operations compared to now in spring of 2021?
Darcy Davis: Well, certainly in phase one, that's our crisis response mode and there was not enough supply for the demand. You know, there were a lot of very frustrated people who wanted the vaccine and couldn't get it. But we were very rigid about enforcing the governor's orders. And, you know, so we ultimately got through that, but very early on, it was a very uncomfortable, frustrating circumstance for a lot of people.
Robin Kish: The Health Care District operated testing sites across the county, including for a time at the ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm beach, as well as three mass vaccination sites in the northern, central and southern parts of the county. What kind of response have you received from the public?
Darcy Davis: Well, surprisingly, I guess, you know, but pleasantly, we actually had very positive response. We innovated and we made this a very simple experience for individuals. And I think the most important part was that we kept having feedback and we'd incorporate that feedback. So when some of the technology perhaps was a little complicated, we opened up phone lines. And we just continued to refine our process to the point where, you know, I think it's extremely simple. And an individual that will come into one of our sites may spend 20 minutes maximum. And that includes 15 minutes of observation time, so a very simple process. And I think people were very pleased with how easy it was to get it done.
Robin Kish: At the largest site at the South Florida fairgrounds, your medical team along with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue vaccinated 4,000 individuals in one day. That's pretty impressive. But you had the foresight to plan for the time when there would be more vaccines and arms to put them in. Darcy, at some point, did you have a high number of no-shows and appointments that were going unfilled?
Darcy Davis: We started seeing no-shows and unfilled appointments, but it actually happened quite suddenly. In fact, the first week of April, I think the county was saturated with vaccine and that was the week when a number of private providers, physician offices, urgent care offices and, of course, the retail market started receiving vaccine in addition to what we had received. So it happened very quickly because a lot of other locations made themselves available to people.
Robin Kish: So I understand the Health Care District has three mobile clinics named Hero, Warrior and Scout. How are these mobile units being rolled out to support the next phase of the health care district's vaccination operation?
Darcy Davis: So we actually started with the mobile units as the mass sites were getting mobilized. But in that space, we really went and parked and it was a fixed location. As we're moving into this third phase, we're trying to get out into the community to target those vaccine-hesitant populations. So we're looking to partner with faith leaders, employers, other influential community members that might help get some of those vaccine-hesitant individuals to take the shot.
Robin Kish: What neighborhoods and populations do you hope to reach?
Darcy Davis: So we're starting to with data, because I think it's really important to see where the vaccine hasn't proliferated yet. So we're looking at the data to see what neighborhoods have almost a vaccine desert, so to speak. ZIP code information will help lead us to those community leaders. And from there, we'll start scheduling dates and times where we can make ourselves available.
Robin Kish: The local newspaper dubbed the effort the "Herd Immunity Express." What do you think of that title?
Darcy Davis: I love it. I think that's great actually. Very clever.
Robin Kish: What do you want to tell listeners who may be holding off getting the vaccine?
Darcy Davis: You know, what I would recommend is that they go speak to someone that they trust. You know, whether that's a faith leader, a physician, a family member, speak to someone they trust who had the vaccine themselves and find out what it was that convinced that individual to get the vaccine.
I don't think it helps to really push, push, push, you know, myself or, you know, someone because they really need to have that, the confidence that who they're speaking to carries weight with them and is really going to make a difference for them. So I would send them back to somebody they know and trust.
Robin Kish: For those who have been vaccinated, Darcy, what do you recommend they do to protect their COVID-19 vaccination record cards?
Darcy Davis: So the first thing is take a picture of it, so it's on your phone and has the pertinent data on it. That way, you will always have that information. But there's a lot of contradictory conversation out there, but I say, you know, do not laminate that card actually, contrary to what you may have heard. Do not laminate that card because you may need to get a booster at some point in the future and you need to keep that record together. So I would say put it in a safe place, but most importantly, take a picture of it.
Robin Kish: Darcy, you and your team have put in a lot of long hours to plan, execute and retool your operations. What has been the most gratifying part of the experience?
Darcy Davis: The personal stories have been amazingly gratifying. You know, I can visualize some of the faces of the people that I've spoken to personally. And, you know, in particular, one grandmother said to me, "I just got my shot. How many days is it until I can go hug my grandkids?" And, you know, things like that, where you realize how widespread and how impactful this virus has been on everyone's, you know, daily activities and their lives in such an emotional way. So hearing the hope that has come from them after getting that shot, it's kept us motivated and it's the reason we're doing this.
Robin Kish: Well, thank you, Darcy, for sharing your expertise and experience with us.
If you find this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channel and check out our full podcast library for topics of interest to you at healthcaredistrictpodcast.org. Let us know what you think. Your review helps us reach more people just like you.
Today's podcast is brought to you by the Health Care District of Palm Beach County. The Health Care District is a unique safety net health care system located in South Florida that provides county residents access to primary care, skilled nursing and hospital care, registered nurses in nearly all of the county's public schools and oversight of the county's trauma system, which includes operating two life-saving Trauma Hawk air ambulances. Learn more by visiting hcdpbc.org.