Henry Ford ER Physician & MDHHS Chief Medical Executive Joneigh Khaldun, M.D., Receives 2nd Covid-19 Vaccine Dose

DETROIT (January 7, 2021) – Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Executive and Henry Ford Emergency Medicine Physician Joneigh Khaldun, M.D., was at Henry Ford Hospital Thursday evening getting her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Dr. Khaldun received her first dose along with other Henry Ford frontline workers during a live event on December 17^th to raise awareness of the vaccination effort.

So far, more than 18,000 of our team members have either received or are scheduled to receive the vaccine – a little more than 60 percent of our workforce, and many of our frontline healthcare workers, like Dr. Khaldun, are beginning to receive their second shot. Henry Ford continues to deliver either first or second vaccination shots to our team members at the rate of between 1,000 and 1,150 vaccinations per day. Approximately 6,850 team members, or about 19%, have not responded to the invitation to be vaccinated, and about 7,100 of our team members have declined vaccination, which represents about 21% of our total workforce. Our team members are not required to give a reason for declining the vaccine. Additionally, even if they decline for now, they are eligible to change their mind and sign up to be vaccinated.

“I am just feeling so excited and thrilled to be getting my second shot today,” said Dr. Khaldun. “Once you get that second shot, it is 95% effective. I understand that some people may have questions about the vaccine, and that’s OK. But I want to say that this vaccine is safe, its effective, and it’s the way we are going to save lives, and it's important that healthcare workers get this vaccine.”

Yesterday, Dr. Khaldun and the State of Michigan announced new guidelines for people who should get vaccinated, including those over 65 and certain classes of essential workers. “Its incredibly important that people understand that these vaccines are not going to be available at your pharmacy. Your provider will contact you to schedule an appointment,” she said.

In conjunction with the new vaccination guidelines and with the safety of our patients, our community, and our team members foremost in our minds, Henry Ford Health System is finalizing plans to expand our vaccination program to include patients age 65 and older as well as others who meet the state’s expanded guidelines. We expect to begin providing vaccinations as early as Monday at one Detroit site, with plans to open additional sites by the end of next week.

We will soon be reaching out proactively to our eligible patients to provide resources to help them make an informed decision, as well as encourage them to sign up for a MyChart account if they don’t already have one, for convenient online scheduling when appointments become available. Additionally, we are also working with multiple community partners to provide vaccinations for the expanded group of essential workers, independent physicians and healthcare providers, as well as clinical students who are participating in educational programs at Henry Ford Health System. More details will be released as they are finalized.

About Henry Ford Health System: Founded in 1915 by Henry Ford himself, Henry Ford Health System is a non-profit, integrated health system committed to improving people’s lives through excellence in the science and art of healthcare and healing. Henry Ford Health System consists of six hospitals including Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit; Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals; Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital; Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital; Henry Ford Allegiance in Jackson, MI; and Henry Ford Kingswood Hospital – an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Henry Ford Health System also includes Henry Ford Medical Group; Henry Ford Physician Network; more than 250 outpatient facilities; Henry Ford Pharmacy; Henry Ford OptimEyes; and other healthcare services. Our not-for-profit health plan, Health Alliance Plan (HAP) provides health coverage for more than 540,000 people. As one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers, Henry Ford Health System trains more than 3,000 medical students, residents, and fellows annually in more than 50 accredited programs, and has trained nearly 40% of the state’s physicians. Our dedication to education and research is supported by nearly $100 million in annual grants from the National Institutes of Health and other public and private foundations. Henry Ford Health System employs more than 33,000 people, including more than 1,600 physicians, more than 6,600 nurses and 5,000 allied health professionals.

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MEDIA CONTACTS: John Gillespie / jgilles3@hfhs.org / 314-708-9090   David Olejarz / David.Olejarz@hfhs.org / 313-303-0606