def METHOD_NAME(self):
    """
    Initializes a connection pool for a Vertica.
    Uses the vertica_python Python package.
    """
    try:
        # Construct the connection string
        connection_string = f"vertica://{self.username}:{self.password}@{self.host}:{self.port}/{self.dbname}"
        logger.info("Connecting to the vertica Database...")
        # Connect to Vertica
        conn = vertica_python.connect(connection_string)
        return conn
    except Exception as error:
        logger.error("Connection Has Failed... %s", str(error))
        sys.exit(1)