State homebound vaccination program launches with local help

Date: 3/31/2021

WESTERN MASS – Signing up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts has been a challenge for many residents as demand has far outpaced supply. For homebound residents, even if they could schedule a shot at one of the mass vaccination sites, pharmacies or hospitals that offer them, they would not be able to travel there. To solve this problem, Massachusetts went live with a homebound vaccination program on March 29.

The Homebound Vaccination Central Intake Line, (833) 983-0485, has been established for homebound residents to request an immunization weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. After providing the hotline representative with contact information, people should receive a call back between three days and a week to schedule the appointment that meets the patient’s needs.

The in-home injections are administered by a medical professional following all appropriate public health guidelines. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is used for all in-home inoculations because a single dose is all that is required.

According to the program guidelines, residents who qualify for the program must “have considerable difficulty and/or require significant support to leave the home for medical appointments, require ambulance or two-person assistance to leave the home,” or “are not able to leave the home for medical appointments under normal circumstances.”

Some local boards of health are assisting in the in-home administration of the vaccine through town-run efforts. Wilbraham is one of the towns that has told the state it wants to provide a local option.

“Right now, any resident can call,” explained Wilbraham Public Health Nurse Jill Consolino. “If they are identified as a resident of either Hampden or Wilbraham, they will be told to contact one of the boards of health or the councils on aging in each respective town to get registered for this program.”

Longmeadow Vaccine Clinic Team Leader Andrew Fraser said that the town has had a plan in place “for some time” to immunize homebound residents. In Longmeadow, the Board of Health and paramedics from the Fire Department will be the ones giving the shots.

As with the vaccine clinics that several area towns had been conducting before Gov. Charlie Baker’s redirection of doses to mass vaccination sites, municipalities have been left wondering when they will receive the vaccine.

“For several weeks the town has been waiting for the state to provide us and the other municipal clinics across the state with the process to obtain the doses. Each time we contact them we are told ‘We are working on it.’ This is very frustrating for our staff and the residents who are waiting for it,” Fraser said.

Similarly, Wilbraham has not yet received a supply of vaccines. “I am waiting for further information from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) on when we will see the vaccines arrive in town so that we can get those who have contacted us already scheduled for their vaccine in-home.” Consolino said. “Once this has been identified from the state and confirmation on shipping is received we will have a supply on hand.”

More about the state’s homebound vaccination program can be found at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-homebound-vaccination-program.

Update: On March 31, Longmeadow was informed that it would be receiving an allotment of Johnson & Johnson vaccine for the home bound population. Those inoculations will take place the week of April 5, by appointment.