It’s like riding a bicycle.
That’s how Ellen Lennon, R.N., describes being recertified and administering vaccines as an RVNAhealth clinical volunteer. A 2020 retired former acute care nurse with over thirty years’ experience, Lennon sought out RVNAhealth when she learned that we were an approved COVID-19 vaccine provider.
Lennon was on vacation with her sister when life changed last March. “We came back to lockdown and a completely different life than we left,” she said. When the time was right, she felt compelled to “move the state and the country forward” and has been volunteering at RVNAhealth COVID-19 clinics nearly four days each week since the vaccine rollouts. Each vaccine manufacturer has its own vaccine administration certification process, so Lennon received both Moderna and Pfizer certifications and will do so when the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is more readily available for dissemination.
Doing her part as a volunteer during a global health crisis has given Lennon a renewed purpose since retiring and she enjoys being part of a clinical environment again. She attributes the camaraderie and trust the RVNAhealth nurses have with each other to the ease of her transition back into the fray. Because of the vaccine clinic schedule demands, friends urged Lennon to return to work, but she prefers volunteering because of the incredible people she works with and the flexibility of the schedule. Once most residents have been vaccinated, Lennon will scale back her volunteer hours and encourages other retired nurses to do their part by volunteering. “The more nurses to help those in need day-to-day, the better,” she said.
A Ridgefield resident since June 2020, Lennon feels at home in the town she says is “a great place filled with great people,” and enjoys meeting neighbors and practicing yoga at the Recreation Center.
Volunteering for RVNAhealth: RVNAhealth welcomes both clinical and non-clinical volunteers to help us serve our mission. Nurses, doctors, and those with clinical expertise are in demand especially now that RVNAhealth is an approved COVID-19 vaccine provider. There’s no time minimum and no limit to the possibilities for clinical volunteering.
