Portland pharmacist is Oregon's 'Immunization Champion'

(SEPTEMBER 30, 2022) Vaccinations and booster shots are important. They keep us healthy during COVID. Sandy Le is a pharmacist in Portland. She has played a large role in vaccinations. In fact, she recently received an award for her work. The award was "Immunization Champion". It came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM).

Why did Sandy receive this award? She and her team at LeCare Pharmacy in Northeast Portland have given over 45,000 vaccinations. That's more than any other pharmacy in Oregon.

According to Oregon Health News, Sandy came to the United States in 1988. She was a refugee from Vietnam. She lived with family in Hawaii. Sandy decided to work in health care after seeing her guardian have cancer. Sandy moved to Oregon after high school. She graduated from Oregon State University with her Doctorate in Pharmacy.

Sandy and her husband opened LeCare Pharmacy in 2021. Her husband is also a pharmacist. They wanted to make it easy for people to just walk in and get the free vaccination or booster shot.

“There was a day that I went to church. And I saw so many people who needed vaccines,” remembers Sandy. “I came home and told my husband, ‘So many people need a vaccine, and we have the facilities but no vaccines to give to anybody.'" So she worked with Multnomah County to begin vaccinations at the pharmacy -- without appointments.

Since then, Sandy has continued her mission to help others. She works to get vaccines and health care to Vietnamese, Chinese, and Latino communities. For example, they provide vaccinations at community events. The couple goes to homes of people who cannot leave the house. They even provide vaccines to workers on ships. In this way, they can vaccinate ship workers who cannot get a vaccination in any other way.

“I feel like we’re never alone," says Sandy. "We want to help, and so many people support us. So that part warms my heart.”