Where Are They Now?
ERHS grad helps roll out the vaccine
Ghiringhelli holds a vial of the Moderna vaccine at a long-term care facility clinic. Courtesy photo
By Barb Mosher, Contributing Writer
As the government prioritizes the distribution and administration of Covid-19 vaccines, an Elk Rapids High School graduate is at the forefront of the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.
As a Covid-19 depot leader for CVS Pharmacy, Josh Ghiringhelli (ERHS 2003) directly oversees the operation of three vaccine depot stores in southeast and central Michigan, hiring and training pharmacists and technicians distributing the vaccine to long-term care facilities. As a regional depot captain, he also supervises six other depot leaders who are managing their own depot stores.
“For logistical purposes, CVS has centralized its vaccine inventory into depot stores, concentrating it to serve a larger area of nursing homes and long-term care facilities,” explained the son of local pharmacist and River Pharmacy owner Lou (and Nancy) Ghiringhelli. “We make sure our teams are familiar with the process of safely handling the vaccine, its storage and administration, and that they understand any new developments. There’s quite a bit of training surrounding the specific vaccines.”
While this new role has taken Ghiringhelli out from behind the retail pharmacy counter, it still satisfies his desire to serve the public with his education and training. He received his doctor of pharmacy degree from Ferris State University in 2009 and worked for several pharmacy chains before settling in at CVS in 2012.
“Overall, the thing I enjoy most about pharmacy is educating and being a support for my patients,” he said. “Pharmacy and the medical field are technical and complex, so being able to present information in a way that helps people feel confident in what they’re doing and how it’s impacting their health is what keeps me going every day.”
Ghiringhelli is working with both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines as his responsibilities extend to long-term care facilities and CVS depots in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio; each state or region chooses its preferred vaccine.
“Both vaccines are very highly effective as the study data shows,” Ghiringhelli said. “They’re very similar in safety and efficacy. For general citizens, there’s not expected to be any differences long term.”
Ghiringhelli acknowledges the speedy development of Covid-19 vaccines concerns some people but says the technology behind it is not new. The process of how vaccines work, he said, has existed a long time.
“I think there’s a lot of anxiety,” he said. “People want to see more data. But to say this is any different from the vaccines they’ve been getting for a long time, or is less safe, there’s no data to prove that. But there’s a lot to show they’re effective and safe. Scientists do a lot of hard work to make sure we can stop this pandemic. The best way to do that is with a vaccine and practicing safe protocols.”
Ghiringhelli also addressed the effectiveness of current vaccines against recent mutations of the virus. “Viruses mutate,” he said. “The flu virus mutates every year. We’re hoping the vaccine will cover any future (Covid-19) mutations as well.”
There is hope, Ghiringhelli believes, for getting to the other side of the pandemic but adds it will require cooperation and commitment on everyone’s part. That, he says, includes following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for social distancing, mask wearing, and hand sanitizing as well as receiving a vaccine as soon as possible.
“The hope relies on each other, just like anything else,” he said. “If we all do our part, we’ll get this taken care of and get back to having family gatherings. I think with the things we’re doing and with people doing their best, we’ll inspire those on the fence. I’m very optimistic, because I know people care about each other. That’s why I do what I do.”
When Ghiringhelli isn’t fighting the pandemic, he enjoys conducting science experiments at home in Oakland Township with his daughters, Chloe (nine) and Sydney (turning seven in March). “We’ve had more than one pink explosion in our kitchen,” he joked.
Ghiringhelli played four years of basketball and soccer at ERHS and remains a serious fitness enthusiast. He’s an avid runner and has completed multiple marathons and a few 50-kilometer ultramarathons. His wife, Lindsey, is also a pharmacist — they met at FSU. They enjoy sharing outdoor adventures with their daughters including family walks and bike rides.
Ghiringhelli misses the beaches and sunsets of his hometown as well as the sense of community he treasured growing up in a small village. He says his favorite ERHS teacher, Terry Reisig, has had a lasting impact on him.
“Mrs. Reisig — you’ve got to love her,” he said. “She really gave me confidence in expressing myself. She was a huge confidence boost and helped me find my voice.”
That will continue to positively impact the patients and pharmacy staff who have the privilege of interacting and working with Ghiringhelli through the pandemic and beyond.
“I really see all challenges as an opportunity in managing the ever-changing field and staying current and making sure I’m giving them the most accurate info regarding cost and the best therapies,” he said. “I make sure I spend as much time with everyone as they need.”
As the government prioritizes the distribution and administration of Covid-19 vaccines, an Elk Rapids High School graduate is at the forefront of the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.
As a Covid-19 depot leader for CVS Pharmacy, Josh Ghiringhelli (ERHS 2003) directly oversees the operation of three vaccine depot stores in southeast and central Michigan, hiring and training pharmacists and technicians distributing the vaccine to long-term care facilities. As a regional depot captain, he also supervises six other depot leaders who are managing their own depot stores.
“For logistical purposes, CVS has centralized its vaccine inventory into depot stores, concentrating it to serve a larger area of nursing homes and long-term care facilities,” explained the son of local pharmacist and River Pharmacy owner Lou (and Nancy) Ghiringhelli. “We make sure our teams are familiar with the process of safely handling the vaccine, its storage and administration, and that they understand any new developments. There’s quite a bit of training surrounding the specific vaccines.”
While this new role has taken Ghiringhelli out from behind the retail pharmacy counter, it still satisfies his desire to serve the public with his education and training. He received his doctor of pharmacy degree from Ferris State University in 2009 and worked for several pharmacy chains before settling in at CVS in 2012.
“Overall, the thing I enjoy most about pharmacy is educating and being a support for my patients,” he said. “Pharmacy and the medical field are technical and complex, so being able to present information in a way that helps people feel confident in what they’re doing and how it’s impacting their health is what keeps me going every day.”
Ghiringhelli is working with both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines as his responsibilities extend to long-term care facilities and CVS depots in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio; each state or region chooses its preferred vaccine.
“Both vaccines are very highly effective as the study data shows,” Ghiringhelli said. “They’re very similar in safety and efficacy. For general citizens, there’s not expected to be any differences long term.”
Ghiringhelli acknowledges the speedy development of Covid-19 vaccines concerns some people but says the technology behind it is not new. The process of how vaccines work, he said, has existed a long time.
“I think there’s a lot of anxiety,” he said. “People want to see more data. But to say this is any different from the vaccines they’ve been getting for a long time, or is less safe, there’s no data to prove that. But there’s a lot to show they’re effective and safe. Scientists do a lot of hard work to make sure we can stop this pandemic. The best way to do that is with a vaccine and practicing safe protocols.”
Ghiringhelli also addressed the effectiveness of current vaccines against recent mutations of the virus. “Viruses mutate,” he said. “The flu virus mutates every year. We’re hoping the vaccine will cover any future (Covid-19) mutations as well.”
There is hope, Ghiringhelli believes, for getting to the other side of the pandemic but adds it will require cooperation and commitment on everyone’s part. That, he says, includes following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for social distancing, mask wearing, and hand sanitizing as well as receiving a vaccine as soon as possible.
“The hope relies on each other, just like anything else,” he said. “If we all do our part, we’ll get this taken care of and get back to having family gatherings. I think with the things we’re doing and with people doing their best, we’ll inspire those on the fence. I’m very optimistic, because I know people care about each other. That’s why I do what I do.”
When Ghiringhelli isn’t fighting the pandemic, he enjoys conducting science experiments at home in Oakland Township with his daughters, Chloe (nine) and Sydney (turning seven in March). “We’ve had more than one pink explosion in our kitchen,” he joked.
Ghiringhelli played four years of basketball and soccer at ERHS and remains a serious fitness enthusiast. He’s an avid runner and has completed multiple marathons and a few 50-kilometer ultramarathons. His wife, Lindsey, is also a pharmacist — they met at FSU. They enjoy sharing outdoor adventures with their daughters including family walks and bike rides.
Ghiringhelli misses the beaches and sunsets of his hometown as well as the sense of community he treasured growing up in a small village. He says his favorite ERHS teacher, Terry Reisig, has had a lasting impact on him.
“Mrs. Reisig — you’ve got to love her,” he said. “She really gave me confidence in expressing myself. She was a huge confidence boost and helped me find my voice.”
That will continue to positively impact the patients and pharmacy staff who have the privilege of interacting and working with Ghiringhelli through the pandemic and beyond.
“I really see all challenges as an opportunity in managing the ever-changing field and staying current and making sure I’m giving them the most accurate info regarding cost and the best therapies,” he said. “I make sure I spend as much time with everyone as they need.”
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