Durango Daybreak Rotary has recognized business owner and nurse practitioner Karen Zink with its Vocational Excellence Award for her leadership initiating the Community COVID-19 Vaccination Team.
Criteria for the award include outstanding commitment to principles of vocational service, contributing professional expertise and skills, and adhering to and promoting high standards in support of the Rotary ideals of community service through vocation.
Zink put her professional experience to use by reworking the 9Health Fair model to help address early limited vaccine availability in La Plata County. She mobilized the 9Health Fair volunteers and coordinated with San Juan Basin Public Health and other local agencies to bring a large vaccine site to fruition at the county fairgrounds and in Ignacio.
The team ran vaccination clinics from January to March, administering 6,300 vaccines to more than 3,500 people. The clinics begun by the Community COVID-19 Vaccination Team volunteers continued under the management of SJBPH.
