Photo By Staff Sgt. Justin McClarran | U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin Patterson, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida native,...... read more read more
JACKSONVILLE, Florida- The Community Vaccination Center (CVC) at the Gateway Mall in Jacksonville, Florida continues to help local community members by administering COVID-19 vaccinations as part of the whole-of-government mission.
Supporting the operation, U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert O’Bryant, a Louisville, Kentucky native assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Jacksonville, proudly provides support in a dynamic role with dedication to his team and the Jacksonville community.
“It doesn't hit home any more than this. We're fighting a war against an invisible enemy,” O’Bryant said. “I can protect against it. I can give the American public, biological body armor against something that has wreaked havoc.”
O’Bryant is one of the center’s leading petty officers, making him responsible for managing the needs of his a team and ensuring they are trained to serve the CVC and the community members who come to get vaccinated.
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Eric Bopp, assigned Navy Medicine and Training Command Jacksonville and Senior Nurse at the Jacksonville CVC says O’Bryant stands out above his peers.
“He [O’Bryant] is very proactive and engaging, motivated and optimistic. He adds a much more mature kind of work ethic,” Bopp said. “He’ll look for opportunities to improve himself and help others by broadening their experience or knowledge.”
Bopp said O’Bryant is also constantly improving the process and making sure community members feel comfortable in the vaccination area.
“He is flexible in his leadership style and just has a really optimistic view on everything. He’s a really good Sailor with solid performance,” said Bopp.
O’Bryant said he gets his drive from his family and senior mentors. To him, knowledge is everything.
“Education on top of training is the foundation of everything we do in our life. I’ve always been an advocate of train how you fight,” said O’Bryant. “I take it personally and seriously. It’s important that these corpsmen never lose their edge and keep sharpening their skillset so that patients are safe.”
O’Bryant’s leadership and work ethic has even caught the eye of the local community. He was requested by name to administer a second dose of a COVID vaccine and received a token of appreciation from a community member; something he takes to heart.
“Everything we do, we do for the community, and for someone to recognize the efforts that not only myself, but also my friends and my fellow co-workers of all services are doing, it’s one of the greatest honors that could be bestowed on me.”
Regarding his role with the Jacksonville CVC, O’Bryant said the team is making the mission a success.
“It’s great working with other organizations in the whole-of-government effort as multiple agencies come together with the support of the Department of Defense to make the mission happen,” said O’Bryant.
While the Jacksonville CVC is making a positive impact on the local community, for O’Bryant, that is not enough. He said he is thankful and appreciates the community for allowing him to help as he looks forward to the rest of his time stationed in Jacksonville.
“I'm hoping that our relationship with the community is something that's going to continue to blossom from this, because it's [the CVC] really tightened the bond,” said O’Bryant.
The Department of Defense is committed to supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Jacksonville CVC has administered more than 81,000 vaccines to the community.
U.S. Northern Command, through U.S. Army North, remains committed to providing continued, flexible Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of the whole-of-government response to COVID-19.
For more information, visit www.FederallySupportedCommunityVaccinationCenters.gov.
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2021 10:59 |
| Story ID: | 396821 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 52 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman shines at the Jacksonville Florida CVC, by SSG Justin McClarran, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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