A Well Deserved Shout Out to Fairview Hospital's Heather Barbieri

In a recent post from the Berkshire County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Bowler recognized one of the great individuals and heath care workers here in in the southern Berkshires and that individual is Heather Barbieri of Fairview Hospital/Berkshire Health Systems. Heather is currently the Director of Emergency Management so normally she doesn't work directly with patients according to the post but with COVID-19 rearing its ugly head over the past year, Heather is focusing on COVID-19 response for the hospital and the community.

I know that Heather among others have been leading the charge regarding vaccination clinics at the W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School in Great Barrington. In one of their early sessions, Heather and her team vaccinated approximately 1,500 Berkshire County residents. From personal experience I can tell you that the methods and practices Heather and her team conduct make the vaccination process a very well oiled machine.

I recently received my second COVID-19 vaccination. I was eligible early due to the fact that I received a kidney transplant in 2017 due to my genetic Polycystic Kidney Disease and even with the transplanted kidney, I'm immune compromised. Early on after the transplant surgery I had to wear masks in certain settings before masks became a thing. Heather made the process very smooth and easy. I have to be honest, going to the school and getting the vaccination was actually fun.

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WSBS and Heather have had a great relationship for many years working together on community events, on-air interviews and more. Heather is a total professional. She works tirelessly for our community, keeping us safe and healthy and she does it with a smile. She gives off a vibe that will immediately kick you into positivity mode even if you are having a down day.

Heather, I'm thrilled to see that the Sheriff's Office recognized you. You certainly deserve the accolades all year long. Congratulations Heather from the entire team here at WSBS.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.