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St. Luke’s Wood River doctors celebrate vaccine with nod to iconic image
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St. Luke’s Wood River doctors celebrate vaccine with nod to iconic image
By Dave Southorn, News and Community
December 29, 2020
A momentous occasion calls for a unique commemoration.
So when a group of doctors at St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center got their COVID-19 vaccinations, on Dec. 23, they chose to strike a pose.
Dr. Julie Lyons got the idea from a Facebook group called “Physician Moms Group COVID-19 Subgroup.” There, a doctor had merged the famous World War II Rosie the Riveter image with the words, “This Is Our Shot,” instead of the “We Can Do It!” declaration, with Rosie sporting a mask and a bandage on her arm.
“Getting the vaccine – on my birthday – was a joyful experience,” Dr. Lyons said.
“Those that know me know I love costumes,” she said. “I was even more excited when many of my colleagues joined in the fun.”
The other physicians who channeled their inner Rosie the Riveters once they got their vaccinations were Dr. Frank Batcha, Dr. Brock Bemis, Dr. Kathryn Woods, Dr. Richard Paris and Dr. Cortney Vandenburgh.
All wore hair coverings sewn for them in March by Donna Wright, a nurse whom Lyons called “the mother hen of the (obstetrics) floor.” Lyons noted how the red and white look was very similar to what Rosie wore on the famous posters nearly 80 years ago.
The Wood River Valley, and St. Luke’s Wood River, were hit hard by COVID-19 just as the pandemic began its run through the state.
“We have come a long way” since that time, Lyons said.
And as for the vaccine?
“I am 100 percent convinced of its importance as the first major step to combat the pandemic,” she said.
As St. Luke's frontline workers continue to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, some have taken the time to show the process and explain why getting the vaccine is important. Dr. Kenny Bramwell, system medical director for St. Luke's Children's, discusses below.
Dr. Kenny Bramwell
Dr. Kenny Bramwell, Emergency Physician and St. Luke's Children's System Medical Director on getting the new COVID-19 vaccine