BHS vaccinating eligible seniors, workers
All eligible seniors and health care workers who filled out an online form to have their COVID-19 vaccines at the Butler Health System will be vaccinated this weekend.
Karen Allen, chief nursing officer, said Butler Memorial Hospital received 2,200 doses of the vaccine Thursday, and schedulers were hard at work emailing health care workers and everyone age 75 or older who filled out an online form with the times they would receive their shot.
Beginning Friday or Saturday, the hospital will use a new and more efficient system for signing up for a vaccine, said Allen. She said instead of filling out a form and waiting for an email, the new scheduling software on the health system's website will allow seniors and health care workers to peruse the times and dates available and pick an appointment.
“You will schedule yourself directly into the date and time,” Allen said.
The new online schedule will contain the same number of appointment times and dates as the health system has COVID-19 vaccination doses, Allen said.
The schedule will not be available if vaccines are not available, she said.Allen expects those who fill out an appointment time and date in the new system to be vaccinated on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.She said she understands that those who filled out the old form were unaware of when they would receive notification from the health system regarding their vaccine, which caused some frustration.“We realized we needed a different scheduling system,” Allen said. “We're just trying to get the doses out as quickly as possible.”The health system has, so far, vaccinated 6,194 people at Butler Memorial Hospital and 1,317 at Clarion Hospital, Allen said.Of that, the first dose of the two-dose vaccine was administered to 4,106 people at Butler Memorial Hospital and 783 at Clarion Hospital.“We've been working so hard to get it out as fast as we get it,” Allen said. “It's been quite an undertaking.”As for the doses to be administered this weekend, Allen said those who meet the criteria of age 75 or older or a health care worker will receive emails with their appointment times.Those with vaccine appointments should use the tower entrance. Employees stationed inside will lead people to one of two vaccination sites inside the hospital.No visitors will be allowed to accompany those getting the vaccine, per coronavirus pandemic protocol in place at the hospital.Allen said there is no schedule for the health system to receive shipments of vaccine doses.“We didn't get information from the state saying 'You are going to get X number of doses per week,” she said. “It's always a surprise.”The online scheduling forms, when ready, will be available at www.butlerhealthsystem.org.
