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Jim Kaski
Marysville
Hero Story
In 2019, St. Clair County Pharmacist Jim Kaski stepped up to volunteer chair/serve as president of the newly developed Blue Water Immunization Partnership. The BWIP is a community-wide initiative composed of local citizens and healthcare professionals. It’s original mission was to try and provide education and information to the community in an attempt to increase the vaccination rates in our county. St. Clair County is among the worst vaccinated counties in the state of Michigan.
However, as we turned the calendar page from 2019 to 2020, it quickly became apparent that BWIP would at some point in the hopefully not-so-distant future, play an even bigger role in the community as a global pandemic hit and vaccines were developed to help the world climb out from underneath the weight of the pandemic.
Beginning in early 2020, shortly after the pandemic came to be, Jim called on BWIP to meet via Zoom to begin strategizing regarding various ways that the group could begin communicating with a community that was already vaccine-hesitant.
Working with the St. Clair County Health Department, Jim helped coordinate numerous county-wide vaccine clinics where he volunteered uncountable hours inoculating residents. He worked with Tri-Hospital EMS of St. Clair County and the City of Marysville to organize/coordinate additional COVID immunization clinics.
Throughout this period, Jim also worked closely, as a volunteer, with the Emergency Management Department of St. Clair County as their pharmacist representative.
In addition to his volunteer hours with BWIP, during this time period Jim has also served as the president of the St. Clair County Pharmacists Association. He is also a representative MPA for the Macomb County Pharmacist Association and he is s member of the Michigan Pharmacist Association.
Jim also volunteers his time on the St. Clair County Substance Abuse Committee.
Without a doubt, during the worst of the global COVID 19 pandemic, Jim Kaski helped save lives. As a certified pharmacist immunizer, Jim donated hundreds of hours of his time to not only provide vaccinations, but to sit and talk with/answer questions from citizens who have been uncertain as to whether or not the COVID 19 vaccinations were safe and effective. Jim has a calm, quiet demeanor. His delivery is sincere and articulate. He is a genuinely nice person and I think all who meet him feel reassured and believe his credibility.
He is open minded and willing to listen to the concerns expressed by citizens. He never dismisses their concerns as silly or irrational. Instead, he presents a calm explanation regarding the reasons why he is immunized and why he believes immunization is important for others, as well.
Jim Kaski
Marysville
Hero Story
In 2019, St. Clair County Pharmacist Jim Kaski stepped up to volunteer chair/serve as president of the newly developed Blue Water Immunization Partnership. The BWIP is a community-wide initiative composed of local citizens and healthcare professionals. It’s original mission was to try and provide education and information to the community in an attempt to increase the vaccination rates in our county. St. Clair County is among the worst vaccinated counties in the state of Michigan.
However, as we turned the calendar page from 2019 to 2020, it quickly became apparent that BWIP would at some point in the hopefully not-so-distant future, play an even bigger role in the community as a global pandemic hit and vaccines were developed to help the world climb out from underneath the weight of the pandemic.
Beginning in early 2020, shortly after the pandemic came to be, Jim called on BWIP to meet via Zoom to begin strategizing regarding various ways that the group could begin communicating with a community that was already vaccine-hesitant.
Working with the St. Clair County Health Department, Jim helped coordinate numerous county-wide vaccine clinics where he volunteered uncountable hours inoculating residents. He worked with Tri-Hospital EMS of St. Clair County and the City of Marysville to organize/coordinate additional COVID immunization clinics.
Throughout this period, Jim also worked closely, as a volunteer, with the Emergency Management Department of St. Clair County as their pharmacist representative.
In addition to his volunteer hours with BWIP, during this time period Jim has also served as the president of the St. Clair County Pharmacists Association. He is also a representative MPA for the Macomb County Pharmacist Association and he is s member of the Michigan Pharmacist Association.
Jim also volunteers his time on the St. Clair County Substance Abuse Committee.
Without a doubt, during the worst of the global COVID 19 pandemic, Jim Kaski helped save lives. As a certified pharmacist immunizer, Jim donated hundreds of hours of his time to not only provide vaccinations, but to sit and talk with/answer questions from citizens who have been uncertain as to whether or not the COVID 19 vaccinations were safe and effective. Jim has a calm, quiet demeanor. His delivery is sincere and articulate. He is a genuinely nice person and I think all who meet him feel reassured and believe his credibility.
He is open minded and willing to listen to the concerns expressed by citizens. He never dismisses their concerns as silly or irrational. Instead, he presents a calm explanation regarding the reasons why he is immunized and why he believes immunization is important for others, as well.