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HURRICANE, Washington County — Cliff Holt is quick to object when praised as a front-line hero.
That's despite his pharmacy — the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the state — providing vaccinations to residents across 50 long-term care facilities, taking vaccines to more than 150 people's homes, and providing other life-saving measures during the pandemic for those who needed help the most across rural southern Utah.
"We're not heroes, we're just happy to help," Holt said.
But Gov. Spencer Cox might disagree. The governor visited Hurricane Family Pharmacy on Friday to thank Holt and his employees for their service during the pandemic.
Before COVID-19 hit the state, the pharmacy had historically given vaccines in-house. But Holt said he spent time on the phone with state officials for six months when the pandemic started to tell them the pharmacy "really wants to be on the front line on this thing."
"We have the personnel, we have nurses, we have pharmacists in this location," Holt said.
It became the first pharmacy to receive vaccines — 1,000 doses — which it administered within 48 hours. He said he pleaded with Cox's office "every other day" for more vaccines to give to those who needed them most.
"We did it here in the pharmacy, but we really did an outreach program. We did several drive-thru events, four of them here, four of them down in town, a couple in St. George, but we also would go to wherever the people were," he said.
When the vaccines were initially only available to those 75 years and older, many of whom were homebound, "we'd go find them," Holt said.
That became the pharmacy's model — bringing vaccines directly to people, he said.
"The phones were ringing off the hook, as you can imagine. When they found out we had it, it was going like wildfire because everybody just wanted to get it. That population, they weren't just going to stand in line," Holt recalled.
After each restocking, the vaccines would again run out rapidly, leading to waiting lists.
Holt said when a vulnerable person received the vaccine, "they were so relieved even to get that first dose. Their friends and their neighbors were dying."
"What we saw in April of 2021, just last April, when the vaccine was getting out there, we saw the cases and the new deaths go way down, and it was because of the vaccinations" for people who are most vulnerable, he added.
Holt said it was an honor to have the governor think "about a little Hurricane pharmacy."
Since early 2021, the pharmacy has performed more than 17,000 COVID-19 vaccinations across Washington County.
The governor also praised Holt for innovations in other areas of pharmacy service as Holt showed him the business operations. Cox has asked Holt to serve on a commission he's starting to work on solutions to reduce health care costs and improve equitable health outcomes.
Hurricane Family Pharmacy has implemented technology that portions out medications in daily sealed packages for patients who take multiple medications each day, Holt explained. For some elderly people, it can be difficult to remember which medications to take and when, and whether or not they've already taken their meds for that day.
Now hundreds of customers use the system, Holt said, bringing down costs as they don't take medicines more than needed, and helping them stay well.
Nursing homes use the technology, he said, but it isn't typically used by pharmacies with patients who still live in their homes. It helps older patients maintain independence instead of moving into a care home, he explained.
