August 26, 2022

Contact: OHA External Relations, orCOVID19.media@odhsoha.oregon.gov

Immunization champions promote immunizations and public health

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have named Sandy Le of Portland as the Immunization Champion for Oregon for 2022. She and her husband, Thanh Le, are co-owners of LeCare Pharmacy in Northeast Portland. The pair has administered nearly 45,000 COVID-19 vaccines, more than any pharmacy in Oregon.

Sandy Le joins a group of 28 award winners from around the country who are recognized by AIM, which promotes public health efforts to keep children and adults vaccinated and protected against disease.

AIM chose Sandy Le from a field of health professionals, community advocates and other immunization leaders statewide for making a significant contribution to public health through her work during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

The husband-and-wife team at LeCare offered walk-in vaccinations and often served lines of patients that stretched for blocks, at a time when many providers relied on appointments. The pair worked before and after business hours to provide as many as 400-500 vaccinations a day. Their record for a single day was 777 vaccine doses.

“If someone stepped into our pharmacy, there might have been a delay, but they got the vaccine no matter what,” Sandy Le said.

The LeCare team also worked to improve access and prioritize providing COVID-19 vaccines to communities at greatest need, including the Vietnamese, Chinese and Latinx communities around Portland. They worked closely with the 2-1-1 call center, learning about callers with challenges. The couple frequently visited the homes of patients with mobility issues, administering vaccines.

With her husband, Sandy Le made more than 40 visits to ships in the waters between Oregon and Washington to vaccinate international seafarers. The majority of ship crew members come from countries where COVID-19 vaccines were not widely available.

Sandy Le came to the United States in 1988 as a refugee from Vietnam, settling with family in Hawaii. She later moved to Oregon, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy from Oregon State University. LeCare Pharmacy officially opened in Portland’s Hollywood neighborhood in March 2021.

Other immunization nominees recognized

Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) Oregon Immunization Program also honored nominees from around the state who were recognized by peers for their work administering vaccines.

Jessica Baskett, a registered nursed at Snake River Pediatrics in Ontario, has led her employer’s immunization efforts for the past eight years. She recently spearheaded three large vaccine clinics for her community in northeast Oregon.

Alicia Beachy, a registered nurse at Siskiyou Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center in Grants Pass, helped educate vaccinators throughout the community and helped inform patients regarding vaccine safety and efficacy. Her work included advocacy and outreach for underserved populations, including personally providing vaccine services in Spanish.

Jeffrey Chow, pharmacist at Columbia Memorial Hospital, Astoria, led pediatric COVID vaccinations in his rural health system in 2021. He directed vaccine distribution through rural health clinics and coordinated several vaccination clinics for children.

Tammy Stewart, a certified medical assistant with NARA NW in Portland, helped to lead NARA NW’s efforts to increase immunization rates at events while providing essential food services at those events to NARA NW clients.

Awards to immunization leaders around the country are made each August during National Immunization Awareness Month to highlight the importance of vaccination for people of all ages.

More information about the 2022 AIM national award winners can be found here.

Information about the Oregon Immunization Program can be found here. The program works to reduce vaccine-preventable diseases in Oregon, co