ONTARIO — The Area Agency on Aging is prepared to help people protect themselves and their family members against severe illnesses this holiday season.
The AAA has collaborated with multiple vaccination clinics, pharmacies and hospitals to raise vaccine awareness and accessibility locally.
The local AAA, located at 2131 Park Ave. West, serves Ashland, Crawford, Huron, Knox, Marion, Morrow, Richland, Seneca and Wynadot counties. Supported by a grant through the Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative, staff estimated grant funds have assisted more than 5,000 vaccinations.
Community outreach coordinators Susan Montgomery and Taylor Smith said an earlier vaccination campaign supported $50 gift cards for people who completed a survey after receiving a vaccine at one of their clinics.
“There’s a lot of education going out of letting people know what vaccines are out there, because we’re not just providing COVID vaccines and flu vaccines,” Montgomery said. “Some of our clinics have also supported senior flu shots, pneumococcal, shingles, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) shots, so there’s plenty of help out here for individuals.”
The grant supports vaccine outreach focused on older individuals and people with disabilities, but programs are open to anyone.
“Being open to all ages also helps grandchildren, caregivers or whomever is close to people who are in those target groups,” Smith said. “It’s been really nice collaborating with clinics that already have things in place, and we can help it run a little smoother either by getting the word out or transporting people there.”
Outreach includes transportation & home vaccinations
The grant money supports transportation for people who can’t get to clinics by themselves, and Smith said the Area Agency is able to support home vaccinations for homebound patients.
“A lot of people are looking forward to the holidays and gathering with family, so we did see a surge in vaccinations in October I think because of that,” she said.
The grant funds aren’t limited to the AAA’s coverage area and funds support outreach activities through next April.
“We’ll be exploring transportation opportunities or home vaccinations more in this season,” Smith said.
Anyone looking for more information on vaccines or a clinic near them can go to the vaccines tab on aaa5ohio.org.
“We’ve referred quite a few veterans to the Veterans Affairs clinic too,” Montgomery said.
People are asked to bring their COVID-19 vaccine card to any booster appointment. If you’ve lost your card, you can access your vaccination records through the Ohio Department of Health.
Most health insurances typically cover vaccines. COVID-19 vaccines are free for everyone 6 months and older in the United States regardless of insurance status.
Contact Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program to learn what vaccines are covered by Medicare at 800-686-1578.
According to frequently asked questions about COVID-19 vaccine boosters on the Ohio Department of Health, bivalent Pfizer and Moderna boosters protect against the original COVID strains and Omicron.
Teens ages 12-17 are only eligible to receive the Pfizer booster, while both boosters are available to any adult in the United States. Children under 12 are only eligible for the primary series of Moderna or Pfizer. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is no longer available in the United States.
More information on other Area Agency on Aging resources is on Facebook. The agency’s phone number is 419-524-4144.
The Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative by USAging is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)) through USAging as part of a financial assistance award to USAging totaling $74,999,835 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official view of, nor an endorsement, by USAging, ACL/ HHS or the U.S. government.
