Homebound but need a COVID shot? This Pierce County program can help
Teresa Rova, 60, finally received her second dose of the Moderna vaccine on Wednesday.
“Now in two weeks, I’ll be totally good,” Rova said. She received her first dose about four weeks ago through the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s homebound vaccination program.
The department has been administering vaccines to homebound Washingtonians since early April.
Rova, who lives in Tacoma, is paralyzed from her waist down. She has been bedridden since 2011 when she underwent back surgery. Her doctor said her spinal cord was too damaged to be repaired.
“It’s better if I can get people to come to me,” Rova said.
When Rova spoke to her caregiver about not being able to physically go out to get a COVID-19 vaccine, the health department called her, asking if she wanted them to come to her.
“I was really happy because I was trying to figure out how I was going to get out of the house to go get it,” Rova said.
Kenny Via, health promotion coordinator for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, said the health department has vaccinated about 165 people in their homes.
“Anyone who has any difficulty leaving their home can call us, and we’ll bring the vaccine to them,” Via said.
The number of teams that administer vaccines per week depends on the number of nurses available, Via wrote in a text message. The number of homebound vaccination appointments per day depends on the number of people receiving vaccines per home, as well the number of vaccines the department needs to give to neighborhoods nearby.
Angela Lawson, a licensed practical nurse at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, said there has been a lot of interest in the health department’s homebound vaccination program. Lawson is a member of the team that gives vaccines.
“Getting out of bed for some people is a whole daily process,” Lawson said, “so it’s not very realistic to expect these people to be able to come up to get their vaccine.”
Via said people can choose to get the vaccine they prefer, but it depends on how many doses the health department has available.
People looking to schedule a homebound vaccination appointment can contact the health department’s call center at 253-649-1412 between 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. any day of the week.
This story was originally published June 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
