Not a single dose wasted: Lebanon VA touts successful COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

• Julia Agos/WITF
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  Julia Agos was a reporter and the host of All Things Considered for WITF.

(Lebanon) – As many seniors and frontline workers around the state await their turn to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the Lebanon County VA is reporting success in the early phases of its distribution effort.

Serving 45,000 veterans in south-central Pennsylvania, the facility has been able to give at least a first dose to 13 percent of its members.

Vaccine coordinator Ashly Klick says demand has been met, so far, without wasting a single dose.

The organization is using a centralized website, Keep Me Informed, where veterans can indicate their interest in the vaccine and schedule an appointment, once eligible.

Klick says the move allowed the VA to quickly serve veterans age 75 and older and proceed into the next phase, which includes those over 65 and people with certain medical conditions.

“That Keep Me Informed page has been a huge asset. And we have also used it at the end of the day to call veterans when we have doses veterans didn’t show for to avoid waste,” she said.

The organization encourages veterans in the midsate who are interested in the vaccine to go to the Keep Me Informed page. Veterans not yet covered by VA insurance can call (717) 228-6000 to get signed up.

The organization is averaging around 500 shots a day.

Rather than receiving their weekly allotment from the state, the Lebanon VA gets their vaccine from the federal Veteran’s Affairs department.

Using the neighboring YMCA gymnasium as a vaccine sight, the VA has been able to vaccinate large groups while maintaining social distancing.

As frustration over the state’s COVID 19 vaccine rollout grows, Lebanon VA spokesman Douglas Etter says thorough planning and a targeted mission have allowed the facility to distribute the vaccine quickly and efficiently.

“We have built our vaccine clinic to be scalable, so it can get larger or shrink depending on the allotment of vaccine we receive each week,” Etter said.

The organization can also pull additional qualified staff from other parts of the hospital to help with inoculations, depending on the daily demand.

Klick says it has been rewarding to see the veterans’ excitement as they come in for their shot.

“Knowing our veterans have that ray of sunshine at the end of the tunnel and hope can we end this pandemic so we can have some normalcy, it’s very hopeful,” she said.