THE AREA’S FIRST VACCINATION Lake Martin Community Hospital STORY BY BRITTANY SMITH & PHOTOS BY SIRI HEDREEN
N
ot all heroes wear a cape. Some wear scrubs, and it is no secret that frontline workers kept the world spinning in 2020 and 2021, especially in the Dadeville community. “The best thing that happened to us through the pandemic was that Lake Martin Community Hospital was one of just 15 hospitals in Alabama to receive the first round of vaccines,” said Heidi Smith, director of marketing at Ivy Creek Medical. She said there was no particular reason why LMCH was chosen but that Pharmacist Johnny Latorre was able to secure the specific freezer required to store the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine weeks before they became available to frontline workers and doctors. “The freezer had to be kept at negative 70 degrees,” Smith said. “But Mike Latorre was instrumental in securing it for the hospital. It cost right at $11,000, but it meant we were able to secure the vaccines, and that was the most important thing for us.” “I’ll never forget it. It was Dec. 15 when we received the first set of Pfizer vaccines. We were all a little afraid but hopeful, too,” Smith said. “Two days later, on Dec. 17, our CEO here at IVY Creek Healthcare, Mike Bruce, was among the first few to get vaccinated. He wanted to lead by
22 2021-2022 | Dadeville Magazine
example, and he did. Most of us followed suit, myself included, and then we got our booster 21 days later.”
