Essential Care

In scenes of community outreach, students and faculty assist in pandemic recovery

Cassie Armout, a sophomore BSN major, monitored senior citizens after they received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the John Reena Senior Apartments in West Orange. Nursing students assisted with vaccination appointments, registration, line control and patient monitoring in the partnership with the West Orange Health Department.

Theresa Migliaccio ’21 and Mark Rodrigues ’21, registered nurses who graduated this spring with the BSN degree, prepared necessary documentation for vaccine administration. “It’s exceptionally rewarding,” Rodrigues says, “knowing we are putting people on track for getting back some sort of normalcy.” Adds Migliaccio, “They cry and they’re so thankful.”
Theresa Migliaccio ’21 and Mark Rodrigues ’21, registered nurses who graduated this spring with the BSN degree, prepared necessary documentation for vaccine administration. “It’s exceptionally rewarding,” Rodrigues says, “knowing we are putting people on track for getting back some sort of normalcy.” Adds Migliaccio, “They cry and they’re so thankful.”

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Montclair State students and faculty have been working toward the greater good, administering vaccinations and health education, and providing commentary and leadership.

“It was as if we were lifelong friends,” says junior Gregory Carmona of meeting, finally in person, his “video pal,” John Zbozen Jr., a retired U.S. Army mapmaker, with whom he spent Friday mornings throughout the spring on Zoom to talk about food and life.
“It was as if we were lifelong friends,” says junior Gregory Carmona of meeting, finally in person, his “video pal,” John Zbozen Jr., a retired U.S. Army mapmaker, with whom he spent Friday mornings throughout the spring on Zoom to talk about food and life.

A sampling of the outreach includes clicking into video chats with isolated senior citizens, translating for Latino families at a COVID-19 information event in Montclair, and visiting with the homebound to inoculate them against the virus.

Among the students reflecting on the efforts, Karen Cook, a registered nurse pursuing her BSN in the School of Nursing, says the outreach “was cathartic in a way I didn’t expect.”

Cook vaccinated seniors in their homes through a University partnership with the West Orange Health Department. “Each dose put in an arm, represented a face I wouldn’t see on my next shift at work. I was finally on the proactive side of this battle and that felt wonderful.”

Aisha Shabbir, a sophomore BSN student, directs a resident to her inoculation. “I was just taking names and they thanked me over and over,” says Shabbir. “We started talking and I told them about my life and they told me about theirs.”
Aisha Shabbir, a sophomore BSN student, directs a resident to her inoculation. “I was just taking names and they thanked me over and over,” says Shabbir. “We started talking and I told them about my life and they told me about theirs.”
Karen Cook and Valentina Valencia, registered nurses in the School of Nursing’s BSN program, made house calls to give the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to the homebound. The visits were part of the School of Nursing’s ongoing partnership with the West Orange Health Department. “The second we step inside the residents’ homes we are taking everything in,” Valencia says. “We have to understand this is their most private space and it speaks for who they are.”
Karen Cook and Valentina Valencia, registered nurses in the School of Nursing’s BSN program, made house calls to give the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to the homebound. The visits were part of the School of Nursing’s ongoing partnership with the West Orange Health Department. “The second we step inside the residents’ homes we are taking everything in,” Valencia says. “We have to understand this is their most private space and it speaks for who they are.”
Christina Chagaris ’21 and Gregory Carmona, Nutrition and Food Science majors, and their video pal John Zbozen Jr. at Canterbury Village Assisted Living in West Orange, New Jersey. Throughout the semester, they connected beyond conversations about healthy eating to share life lessons and stories. “This experience taught me about the importance of having a community and support system,” Chagaris says.
Christina Chagaris ’21 and Gregory Carmona, Nutrition and Food Science majors, and their video pal John Zbozen Jr. at Canterbury Village Assisted Living in West Orange, New Jersey. Throughout the semester, they connected beyond conversations about healthy eating to share life lessons and stories. “This experience taught me about the importance of having a community and support system,” Chagaris says.