Having trouble getting the COVID-19 vaccine? Surry Medical Ministries could have the solution.
The non-profit clinic on Rockford Street began offering free health-care services to persons with inadequate access to that in 1993, and more recently also has focused on the coronavirus pandemic including assisting with the vaccination process.
Officials of Surry Medical Ministries have announced that clinic personnel are now available to help county residents secure appointments for vaccinations, along with providing information on the vaccine and answering questions those seeking it might have.
This was a matter of the clinic recognizing a need in that regard and developing a mechanism to fill the void by helping people get into the loop for COVID-19 shots.
“The motivation was that a lot of folks had a difficult time actually getting an appointment,” President Nancy Dixon of the Surry Medical Ministries’ board of directors said Thursday of the vaccination service the agency is offering.
“They seem to be confused about how to get an appointment,” Dixon added.
Clinic officials have mounted an outreach campaign to inform those experiencing such difficulties that help is available, including contacts with churches and civic groups and through social and other media.
Persons needing assistance with vaccination appointments may call Surry Medical Ministries’ main line at 336-789-5058, with community health worker lines also available at 336-401-2499, 336-401-2493 and 336-401-2492. Spanish-speaking callers can be accommodated.
Dixon said the intent of the program involves letting knowledgeable clinic personnel use their skills to navigate the intricacies of the system in the setting of appointments on behalf of those seeking vaccinations, avoiding hassles on their part.
“And just give them their appointment,” she said of supplying basic details to those assisted such as when and where to receive the vaccine. “And that is what they need, especially our seniors.”
Dixon said Thursday that Surry Medical Ministries already has helped with nearly 500 appointments thus far.
She says the bottom line is the vaccine is relatively simple to access, but proving problematic for some due to one reason or another, which clinic personnel seek to address.
The vaccine is easy to obtain, Dixon said, “and people need to understand they can get their questions (about it) answered easily and by someone they trust, and we can do this easily and efficiently.”
Dixon pointed out that the Surry Medical Ministries office is not a regular COVID vaccination site, although that function can be offered there at times through partnerships with other certified providers such as High Country Community Health.
The clinic is acting as more of a “conduit” to line people up for vaccination appointments, she explained.
Dixon mentioned that the community health worker lines that are part of the vaccine service were added through a grant and being headed by Rosa Miranda.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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