Acting state Physician General stops in Wilkes-Barre to promote vaccines

William O'Boyle, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·3 min read

Jul. 1—WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania Department of Health Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson Wednesday said everyone wants to "get this pandemic behind us," and she said the best and fastest way to make that happen is for everyone to get vaccinated.

Dr. Johnson visited LIFE Geisinger on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre to talk about the benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine and provide an update on the state's vaccine efforts.

"We have three very safe and effective vaccines available in the U.S. to keep people from being hospitalized from COVID-19," Dr. Johnson said. "The COVID-19 vaccines are the best tools we have to protect against this virus. Getting as many Pennsylvanians vaccinated as possible will offer more protection against the virus for everyone and is the fastest and safest way for us to return to our normal activities."

Dr. Johnson was joined by Allison Hess, Vice President of Health Services for Geisinger, and Dr. Richard Martin, Medical Director of LIFE Geisinger, to discuss the benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Johnson said it is critical that people get both shots of the vaccine to provide maximum protection from COVID-19 and, she said, it is the best defense against the variants that are starting to show up in the U.S.

"The vaccine is the best bet to protect each other," she said. "We have been proving the vaccines across the state and we strongly encourage everyone to get it."

Dr. Johnson's visit to LIFE Geisinger included a tour of the facility and mobile vaccination unit. The visit is another effort to educate individuals about the vaccine and help address their concerns.

"We believe that good information will help people make good decisions," Dr. Johnson continued. "We recognize that it is critical for us to meet people where they are. We are working with local leaders, influencers, medical professionals and trusted messengers to ensure that our efforts represent the diversity of our communities as well as to provide the localized approach to addressing individuals' concerns about the vaccine."

Geisinger has been vaccinating Pennsylvanians living in the northeastern part of the state since vaccines became available in December 2020, and since then, has administered more than 303,000 vaccine doses.

"We've adapted our plans and we are one of the first health systems in the commonwealth to administer COVID-19 vaccines to our communities through mass vaccination clinics," said Allison Hess, Vice President of Health Services at Geisinger. "This includes at our vaccine centers, offering walk-in vaccines and making them available at community medicine practices."

Dr. Martin said the COVID-19 patients Geisinger is seeing are people who are not vaccinated.

"We know the vaccines are working," Dr. Martin said. "But we still have work to do."

Hess said Geisinger opened four mass vaccine centers in central and northeastern Pennsylvania using innovative solutions, including near Pittston.

"Part of our adapting was bringing the COVID-19 vaccine to those most vulnerable against the virus," Hess said. "Despite how quickly we set up our vaccine centers, we knew the further you get from our services, the more chance there is for lower vaccination rates."

According to Hess:

—Geisinger has administered more than 303,000 vaccines doses since mid-December.

—101,000 of those were administered from its CenterPoint Vaccine Center in Jenkins Township.

—In Luzerne County, they have administered more than 76,000 vaccine doses to residents.

COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be available, as well as walk-ins, this Friday, July 2, at the Geisinger CenterPoint Vaccine Center, 300 Keystone Ave., Pittston, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.