By Yehudit Garmaise
Boro Park Center (BPC) residents and staff members are buzzing with excitement today because Vaccination Day has arrived. At 7:30am, 15 pharmacists and staff members from Walgreens, with whom BPC teamed through its contract with the New York state government to administer the Pfizer vaccine, arrived at BPC, and they are making their ways throughout the residents’ floors to inoculate 450 residents and hundreds of staff members before early evening, reported David Greenberg, BPC’s administrator.
     “Residents were very excited,” said Mr. Greenberg. “Residents were discussing when the polio vaccine came out in 1955 and remembering those days when they got the vaccine that ended polio.”
  A few residents were scared to get the vaccine, but Shimshi Zimmerman, DO, the medical director of both the BPC and Hatzalah, said that the facilities’ doctors spoke with residents and residents’ families to address their concerns.
“This science behind this vaccine has been around for 15 years, and it in no way falls short of any safety measures,” said Dr. Zimmerman, who took his first shot two weeks ago. “I have not had any side effects and have been great, Thank G-d.
     “I took my vaccine early to show them that everything was good, and I tell patients that over two million people in America have already received their first doses of the vaccine.    “The potentially rare side effects of the vaccine are nowhere near as dangerous as, G-d forbid, someone getting COVID, which still exists very severely in our community.”The only people who should not get the vaccine, Dr. Zimmerman pointed out, are people who have had severe allergic reactions to any vaccine, or anyone who has had COVID in the last 14 days because they are advised to wait 90 days before getting vaccinated.
     After 21 days, BPC’s residents and staff members will receive their second vaccine shots, at which time “we will hopefully lead to the resumption of ‘normal life’ as soon as possible,” Dr. Zimmerman said.  
     Long-awaited visits from their loved ones are what BPC’s residents are most excited, said Mr. Greenberg, who explained that in the past 10 months BPC has replaced visits with video calls and has replaced its fun activities and outings with ones that were COVID-safe.  
 “Until now, we have had all of our amazing activities in groups that were socially distanced,” said BPC’s Associate Director Nachman Feig. “We are hoping to return to our usual celebrations with family members for Purim and Pesach.”
     Mr. Greenberg pointed out that in addition to the dynamic programming that takes place just for BPC’s residents, the facility’s tremendous amount of community programming has also been put on hold since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
     “Community members usually join our residents because we have a shul, shiurim, and Motzei Shabbos concerts in the winter,” said Mr. Greenberg, who mentioned Lipa Schmeltzer and Beri Weber as among the big names who have performed at BPC.
     “So, we are itching to bring back the community,” Mr. Greenberg said. “We feel that once we vaccinate all of our residents and our staff, and then soon, the general community, we will get back to all of our usual fun.”
    BPC’s extensive programming is part of the ways in which the facility helps its residents to stay mentally healthy, upbeat, and motivated. “The residents love it, all the fun helps them a lot, and it gives them tremendous chizzuk,” said Mr. Feig. “The programming improves their moods, which helps to motivate residents to make efforts in their therapies, their rehabilitation, and just to get out the facility and to enjoy life.”
    “Our residents usually daven together,” Mr. Greenberg said. “We usually have Friday night and Shabbos day meals in which our residents sit, eat, and sing together.
     “We can’t wait to return soon to all of our beautiful events and times where we can feel like a family and feel uplifted together.”