Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 3/31/2021
EASTHAMPTON – Easthampton’s Board of Health has officially partnered with Amherst in distributing vaccines to residents who are considered homebound.
According to Brianna Eichstaedt, the public health director for Easthampton’s Board of Health, the city ultimately decided to take the local route for this program because the entire process is easier to manage and “more streamlined.”
“Having the program be administered by the Amherst Health and Fire departments makes communication easier,” said Eichstaedt “They’re much more accessible than trying to contact the state.”
Residents who are considered homebound, or who know of someone who is homebound, must fill out a Google form for enrollment so their name can be added to the list of homebound residents. The Google form can be found here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.
Once their name is added to the list, someone will be in contact one or two days ahead of time to schedule the homebound vaccination. If a resident requires two doses of the vaccine, then Amherst health staff will come by to administer the second dose. They will be administering the first dose, as well.
Eichstaedt explained that Easthampton is a part of the Hampshire County Public Health Preparedness Coalition, where the city trains with other cities to work on situations such as these.
According to its website, the coalition works collaboratively to “enhance communities collective capacity to share resources and respond to public health threats and emergencies, including terrorism and outbreaks of infectious diseases.” Around 19 communities in Hampshire County are a part of the coalition, and the majority of these cities are working with Amherst on the homebound program.
“We have good relationships with our neighboring cities and towns and we work together a lot,” said Eichstaedt. “We are very grateful Amherst took the lead on this.”
As of press time, Easthampton has 14 residents on their list who are considered homebound. The city began enrolling them in the program last week, and appointments will be made through the town of Amherst.
To see if one is considered homebound, check out the guidelines the Easthampton Board of Health posted on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/EasthamptonHealth.
Individuals must be considered homebound by definition to be eligible.