Westmoreland planning covid vaccinations for the homebound

Renatta Signorini, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

Apr. 14—Coronavirus vaccinations for the homebound in Westmoreland County will be a well-coordinated operation once they get underway in a few weeks.

EMS providers around the county will work with Excela Health, the county department of public safety and the United Way to reach adults in their homes, making sure to use up each vial of the vaccine in quick fashion.

"This is a tremendous community effort," said Roland "Bud" Mertz, director of public safety.

Dr. Carol Fox, chief medical officer at Excela Health, agreed.

"Everybody has been willing to ... work together as a team for the betterment of the citizens of Westmoreland County," she said.

A list of names of homebound individuals in the county who need and want the vaccine is being compiled. That list is being pulled from a variety of sources — the state department of human services, Excela Health, United Way and other community organizations that work with the homebound.

United Way Westmoreland Region Director Alyssa Cholodofsky said the potential for illness from covid-19 in a homebound person is a big concern for their families and loved ones. In such a home, there are typically multiple caretakers coming in and out and getting out to a vaccine clinic would be a burden.

"Those folks likely are very vulnerable to the negative effects of covid-19," Fox said. "It would be very difficult for them to be hospitalized."

So far, the United Way provided about 40 names, Cholodofsky said. The county's Area Agency on Aging is about halfway through a list of 800 names provided by the state, adding another 75 to the list, Mertz said. Anyone 18 and older in the county who is homebound and doesn't get any kind of services should call United Way's 211 line to get added to the list. The deadline is April 21.

Once the list is finalized and map created, officials can plot a route for EMS agencies to administer the immunizations in a close geographical area. There are typically 10 doses in each vial of the Moderna vaccine and all have to be used within 12 hours, Fox said.

"We want to be able to plot based on the timing," Mertz said.

That will make for some time-sensitive movement on the part of the EMS agencies, which will do a pre-screening at each home before the inoculation. The vaccinated person then must be observed for a period of time afterwards before the ambulance can move on to another home.

"We want to avoid" discarding any doses, Fox said.

In Westmoreland County, 52,500 people are partially covered by the coronavirus vaccine, according to state department of health statistics. More than 77,000 have been fully vaccinated. Together, that is about 43% of the county's adult population.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .