Carers and family members of those going home are concerned about the lack of access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Experts in home health care say getting this vulnerable vaccine is an important issue that needs to be addressed.
For Jason Hoppe, being a home health nurse is more than a job.
It is a call that he is doing his best to respond right now at the time of a global pandemic.
“It definitely made access for patients more difficult,” Hoppe said.
Do you want to get vaccinated?
As the state begins rolling out the COVID-19 vaccines to those in Phases 1A and 1B, county health departments have started waiting lists for those who want to be circulated.
You can now register to receive the vaccine in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. Below are links:
Waitlist: Links Collin | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant
You do not have to be a resident of the county to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in that county – registration is open to anyone in Texas. For those without internet access, Tarrant County also accepts phone registrations at 817-248-6299. In Dallas County, call the DCHHS vaccine hotline at 469-749-9900. In Denton County, call 940-349-2585.
“People are not getting the care they need because they are worried about going to the doctor or people coming into the home and taking care of them,” he said.
The answer may be the COVID-19 vaccine, which Hoppe recently received.
However, for home healthcare patients like 91-year-old Doyce Dillon, vaccination is not readily available or non-existent.
“We need to have a way to deliver the vaccine to the people who are going home who need it,” said the Associate Medical Director for Prospero Health, Dr. Michael Bond.
Bond said no formal plans have yet been established on how they can vaccinate thousands of Texans heading home.
Texas COVID-19 vaccine circulation
Data from the Texas State Department of Health Services show where COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed around the state. Click on a sign for details of each location. Use the “plus” and “minus” signs below to move in and out of the map.
They are often the most vulnerable people, whether due to age or illness requiring hospitalization or palliative care.
“Ideally, many vaccines could be taken home to a person’s home, but with the restriction of this vaccine being stored, that is not possible,” Dr. Bond said.
If a person does not have a family or helping hands to manage the internet, the challenges are even greater.
Doyce’s daughter, Valerie England, said she has no choice but to take her mother from her home to a hub.
“You have to decide what risk you want to take and we have decided that the vaccine is the way forward,” said England.
All the while, Hoppe does its best to respond to the needs of his patients.
“I miss being able to give a hug to a patient who needs one. That doesn’t happen every day, but sometimes the patients need that,” Hoppe said.
* Map locations are close to the city center and do not have the right to indicate where infected people live.
** County numbers below include all 32 counties in North Texas, not just Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant.
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