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(UPDATE) The CCHD sent the following email on Monday evening:
Please refrain from calling health care providers at CCHD, Benefis Health System, Alluvion Health, and Great Falls Clinic to try to get an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccination. For those who qualify, please do everything in your power to schedule online and be aware that you will not be able to book an appointment before the portal (www.benefis.org/covidvaccine) opens Thursday, January 21 at 9 a.m.
There will be NO EXCEPTIONS to this age rule due to limited vaccine supply. If you can’t get an appointment when the portal opens on Thursday, don’t show up at these agencies or call your doctor to see if they can get you in.
At present, only people aged 70 and over can receive the vaccine as our county’s supply is currently very limited. People in this age group will only be able to receive the vaccine at upcoming Montana ExpoPark Joint Vaccination Clinics – and not from their doctor or other upcoming medical appointments.
We know that many people in Cascade County are between the ages of 16 and 69 with health issues that qualify them for Level 1B vaccination. We are working very hard to get you vaccinated as quickly as possible! However, at the moment we are starting with people 70 years or older and we will not be able to make exceptions due to the limited supply. This policy was developed in consultation with the State and is the same at CCHD, Benefis, Alluvion and Great Falls Clinic, without exception.
We will keep you posted if we get any new information.
(1st REPORT) Cascade City-County Health Department, Alluvion Health, Great Falls Clinic and Benefis Health System are teaming up to begin offering COVID-19 vaccine to community members aged 70 and over.
“It’s such a huge undertaking, it’s not something that I think each of us could accomplish on our own. So it was really about bringing the various organizations together, combining resources, combining strengths and finding the most effective way to get there, ”said Kaci Husten of Benefis Health System. Husted was not sure at this point whether the vaccine doses would come from Pfizer or Moderna. “It could very well be a mix,” Husted said.
Husted provided the following information:
who: Montana’s immunization level 1B was set to include anyone aged 70 or older or meeting certain other health criteria. However, since the number of Cascade County residents entering Level 1B currently exceeds vaccine supply, we are limiting vaccine administration to only those who are 70 years of age and older at present. .
When: At 9 am on Thursday, January 21, we will open 1,500 slots for the vaccines to be scheduled.
- These slots will be reserved for appointments on Monday January 25, Wednesday January 27 and Friday January 29 8:00 am to 3:00 pm Time slots will be filled on a first come, first served basis, so eligible community members should go online to schedule as soon as possible to secure their slots.
How? ‘Or’ What: Appointments must be scheduled online by clicking here: Benefis.org/COVIDvaccine. If you do not have access to a computer, please call 406-455-2500 between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 21. You will need to provide a valid email address to book your appointment, whether you are booking an appointment online or over the phone.
- The vaccine consists of two doses. You will be scheduled for your second dose the moment your first dose is given. The second doses will occur three to five weeks after the first doses, so please anticipate your future availability when planning your first dose.
- If you don’t arrive as scheduled for your first or second appointment, your appointment will not automatically be rescheduled.
- You will not be allowed to schedule your second dose of vaccine yourself online.
Or: Vaccinations will take place at the Montana ExpoPark Family Living Center, 400 3rd Street NW in Great Falls. This is not, however, a driving event.
- You must schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine. If you don’t have an appointment, you will be refused.
- You must present a valid ID at the scheduled time of your vaccine. If your ID shows that you are not 70 or older, you will be refused even if you have an appointment.
Benefis said he expects it will take four weeks to give the first dose of the two-dose vaccine to anyone who falls into level 1B. The next dates, times and number of available vaccination slots will be posted as they become available.
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