LMH Health will begin vaccinations for those 65 and over; 1,300 doses will go to randomly selected residents | News, Sports, Jobs



[ad_1]

photo by: Ashley Golledge

A sign shows LMH Health’s new COVID-19 vaccination center behind the wheel on Tuesday, December 15, 2020.

Lawrence Hospital will begin administering 1,300 vaccines on Tuesday to residents 65 and older.

As of Monday evening, the county contacted 1,300 randomly selected residents through the county alert system. These people had indicated that they wanted to receive the vaccine as part of the county’s vaccine interest survey. The selected residents were given instructions on how to register online or by phone for one of the appointments.

LMH Health spokesperson Amy Northrop said the county had not contacted more than 1,300 residents. As Journal-World reported, previous registrations for Phase 2 vaccination appeared competitive for some residents, as registrations were for more residents than available doses.

The hospital drive-thru clinic is in addition to the health service clinic for residents 65 and older, scheduled for Jan. 29 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. As noted, the 960 appointments for this clinic were filled within approximately 30 minutes of the time slots were made available.

LMH Health’s drive-thru clinic, which begins at 1 p.m. Tuesday, will operate until all vaccines have been distributed. Russ Johnson, chairman and CEO of LMH Health, said the hospital is ready to administer between 500 and 750 vaccines per day. The drive-through clinic is located at 330 Arkansas Street in the northwest parking lot of the main LMH Health campus.

Johnson said he was grateful that LMH Health could play a role in delivering vaccines to people 65 and older.

“As planned for this phase, we have worked to ensure an equitable approach that has the support of our community not-for-profit partners and our Unified Command Equity Impact Advisors, and that allows individuals to access this important service in a simple and convenient manner, ”said Johnson. .

Dan Partridge, director of public health for Lawrence-Douglas County, said the hospital would play an important role in Phase 2 by vaccinating residents 65 years and older, “regardless of where they receive their medication. care.

“With 30,000 to 40,000 residents of Douglas County who qualify for this phase, this process will take some time and of course depends on the availability of vaccines,” Partridge said in the hospital statement. “While we truly understand that everyone is eager to receive a vaccine, patience will be extremely important as we continue to immunize those covered by Phase 1 while navigating these next steps for Phase 2.”

To respond to the County Interest in Vaccine Survey, go to dgcoks.org/vaccineinterestform There are many avenues in place for residents who do not have access to a computer or transportation or who are at home to complete the questionnaire and receive the vaccine:

• A family member or friend can submit the county survey form on behalf of a resident.

• Individuals can visit the Lawrence Public Library to complete the online form.

• Residents can request assistance from the Seniors Resource Center by calling 785-842-0543. Calls will be returned in the order they are received.

• Residents who need help accessing vaccines or transporting them can contact Centraide at 785-843-6626.

• The Visiting Nurses Association said it will help administer the vaccines. More information on this will be posted as it becomes available.

In other news about vaccines at the hospital, pharmacy director Christina Crowley said LMH Health had no issues receiving enough second doses for people who have already received their first dose. The state sends second doses based on the number of first doses it has already sent, Crowley said. Twelve people were either in quarantine or out of state by the time they were supposed to receive their second dose, but those individual circumstances were properly handled by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Crowley said.



[ad_2]

Source link