New Will County call center to help residents schedule vaccine appointments
WILL COUNTY - Nearly two months ago, you could feel the excitement in Will County as the COVID-19 vaccine arrived at Silver Cross Hospital.
But now, for some, patience to get the shot is wearing thin.
75-year-old Carol Tatro from Crest Hill got her vaccine at the end of January, but says she called the Will County Health Department and spent hours on the phone just to schedule it.
"Off and on, probably about 3 hours. I was persistent and I kept trying," she said.
To help meet the demand in calls, on Tuesday, the county board approved allocating funding to help resolve the issue. Within the next two weeks, a call center will have 25 operators working from 8 am to 7 pm to assist residents with registration and scheduling of the vaccine.
"We have done the best we can with the sporadic deliveries of vaccine we've received, but good heavens, we want to get that vaccine into your arm," said Will County Health Department spokesperson Steve Brandy.
The Office of the Will County Executive says the health department has been receiving a little more than 2,000 doses of the vaccine incrementally, which is making vaccinating its nearly 700,000 residents a challenge.
Currently, the health department is working to schedule about 100,000 residents, 65 and older, for doses.
"We should want to protect ourselves and be healthy, so please be patient. We are working hard to get to you," Brandy said.
There is no number out yet for the call center. As information becomes available, it will be posted on willcountyhealth.org.