County Health Department Team Brings Vaccines To Vulnerable

Barbara Hayes, a resident of Grundy Tower in Bristol Borough, thought she had registered for the COVID-19 vaccination list in Bucks County.

“I did it, I think, on the internet, but I never heard back. Maybe I didn’t do it correctly,” she said.

The 82-year-old felt the online signup was hard to navigate and she was relieved Tuesday morning when the Bucks County Health Department brought a mobile inoculation clinic to the Bristol Borough senior living tower.

“It’s such a relief to have had it here. I don’t know when I would have gotten the shot,” she said.

Senior citizens like Hayes are the ones the the Bucks County Health Department has been trying to target with their mobile vaccination strike force that has completed eight clinics for high-risk populations, including at Grundy Tower.

Mackenzie Raub, an epidemiologist and preparedness planner for the county health department, said the clinics have been able to help numerous Bucks Countians who qualify for Phase 1A but had trouble registering online or are unable to make it to a vaccination site.

“We bring the vaccine to them and it’s convenient,” Raub said. “We’re getting to people who are unable to navigate our traditional registration system or people unable to register for themselves because of different limitations.”

Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie was in attendance at the clinic and commended the work of the county health department and volunteer health workers who were assisting in administering the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. He said the mobile strike team will return in three weeks to administer second doses.

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The mobile strike team reported injecting 91 first doses Tuesday. The 14-story Bucks County Housing Authority-owned facility has 176 units. Some residents had already been inoculated.

Grundy Tower has had numerous cases of COVID-19 over the past year, residents said.

Grundy Tower resident Mike Dalaney was pleased with how easy the clinic was for himself and other residents.

The resident walked into the clinic in the community room, signed in, received his dose, and sat for the 15 minute observation period before heading back to his apartment.

“There was nothing to it,” he said.

Martha Nichols was on a waiting list and the mobile clinic made it much easier for her.

“I was getting a little scared about getting it,” she said. “This made it a lot easier.”

Grundy Tower resident and Vietnam War veteran Richard Bruehl said he was happy to get his vaccine at the place where he lives. He said he didn’t want to travel or wait in a long line to get his prick.

For resident Elizabeth Kaminski, getting the COVID-19 vaccine was a priority.

“I’ve been stressing out to find COVID shots, so this is wonderful,” she said. “This is beautiful.”

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