April 2, 2021 –
FHN President and CEO Mark Gridley, MBA, FACHE and Clinical Nurse Leader Tracy Love, MSN, RN, CNL share details about getting on the FHN COVID-19 vaccination list - and other lists in the area - in the latest FHN COVID-19 update video.
The list, Love said, is open to anyone ages 16 and up, and there's no reason to wait to put your name on the list. “We're currently vaccinating people on our list who are 65 and over and those in Phases 1A and 1B Plus, and when we get through all of those vaccinations, we'll start calling the rest of the people on the list,” she said.
Because names are being added to the list all the time and FHN's supply of vaccine varies, there is no place to look up where you are on the list, Love said. “Rest assured, we will call you when vaccine is available for you,” Love said.
To make sure you get your call, she said, “Please make sure you answer any 599 calls. That is the number we will be dialing from. If it's a spam call, you can always hang up, but if it's us, we need to get hold of you!”
She reminds people to remember to bring a photo ID and arrive to the clinic location (1763 S. Dirck Drive in Freeport) about 5 minutes early. Those arriving earlier for their appointments may be asked to wait in their car.
“FHN team members have been working hard to speed up the vaccination process,” Gridley said. “We can administer a vaccine about every minute, so our speed now really depends on the space and the supply of vaccine available.”
Gridley said that FHN gets a weekly allocation of doses from area health departments, and the amount varies each week. “We and many other groups are advocating and asking (state and local governments) for more vaccine, but there is a lot of competition.”
The process is working well, Gridley said, noting that FHN has been able to use all of the vaccine the organization has received. “We don't want to waste vaccine, and so far, we haven't wasted any.”
This week's update video, as well as further information about COVID-19 and vaccinations, is available at www.fhn.org/coronavirus.