Hunting for vaccines
Women create Facebook group to help thousands obtain COVID-19 inoculations
Friday morning, a 69-year-old Livonia man reached out to a Facebook page called Detroit Area Vaccine Hunters for assistance in finding a location to schedule an appointment for his COVID-19 vaccination.
Three hours later, he had more than 50 responses from good-hearted residents from across lower Michigan and Ohio recommending different locations, providers and points of contact. And based upon the track record of the Vaccine Hunters group, the man probably scheduled an appointment before his keyboard got cold.
That’s a testament to three women who have answered the appeal from what Abraham Lincoln called, “the better angels of our nature.”
Elizabeth Griem of Sterling Heights, Katie Monaghan of Royal Oak, and Shar Clark of Holland saw a need, stepped into the void and created a group on Facebook in midFebruary. The site has since set up three regions in its support network, (Southeast and Central Michigan, West Michigan and North Michigan) helping people across the state with volunteers, crowdsourcing, and old-fashioned elbow grease. They also created the Vaccine Angels Program, connecting an overwhelmed senior population with tech-savvy Good Samarian volunteers to get their appointments scheduled.
“I had no idea I’d be doing this (back in December and January), but I knew I wanted to help,” Griem said. “I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing when people needed help.”
For Griem, the idea was based upon her own frustrations trying to obtain vaccinations for her father and father-in-law. When Michigan made vaccines available to residents 75 and over in mid-January, Greim ran into all kinds of problems trying to get appointments for them.
“It was a nightmare. I tried every system to get my dad and my father-in-law in. I called everyone I knew. I knew they were eligible, but I just didn’t know where to turn,” Griem said. “I spent two weeks calling different hospital systems and finally got appointments. I knew if it was that hard for me as a 33-year-old, it must be even harder for people who are older or aren’t computer savvy or don’t have anybody to help them.”
So Griem went online and began searching for ways to share her experience and help others with the same problems. It was there she met Monaghan and Clark, and together they formed the Facebook page. In a little more than three weeks, the page has more than 3,700 followers for the Detroit-area group, 1,800 for the West Michigan group, and about 200 people for the Northern Michigan region.
“There was no central place people could go and see all the vaccine options that are available,” Monaghan said. “We want to be that source for people. At the end of the day, our No. 1 goal is to just help get more shots in arms.”
Since the Facebook group was created, the trio have helped thousands of people across Michigan set up appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. They have many amazing stories, from helping a woman be able to say goodbye to her terminally ill brother, to snagging an appointment in time for an elderly couple to see birth of their granddaughter.
“We were getting so many messages from people who aren’t computer savvy,” Greim said. “I have a whole notebook from people who sent private messages. It’s a whole range of people, but mainly 65 and up. We’ve had couples who started a Facebook account because they heard of us.”
Every Monday night, the site moderators get together virtually, gather their lists of those who need help and prepare to make appointments the following morning. Griem said her team members will use three different computers at once, multiple phones, laptops, tablets, whatever it takes to book the appointments.
“It’s amazing. We’ve been able to get everyone in through to the Macomb County Health Department. We have amazing volunteers,” she said.
Many of the group’s appointments are made through Rite Aid. Griem said many nights she works setting appointments until 2 a.m. Rite Aid takes appointments from 11:40 p.m. until midnight, and Griem stays at it beyond the midnight deadline, making sure the information she has provided is correct and everyone is moved to appropriate locations. She said a lot of Michigan residents, frustrated about being unable to make an appointment, are considering going to Ohio. But Griem said there are a lot of Michigan locations, one just needs to be able to find them.
Griem, who is married and has a two-year-old daughter, has the full support of her husband, Jake, to take on this time-consuming project, knowing how difficult it was to obtain appointments for her own family. She said her daughter, Aaliyah, often sits on her lap while she makes appointments. For her, it’s all about time management.
“It’s almost become a full time job, but it’s worth it to help out,” Griem admitted. “I’ve had people crying on the phone — it’s been rewarding. It’s addicting and very rewarding.
“So many people have also been able to take care of their own appointments through our guidance. It’s been amazing to watch these groups take off and do so much good,” she added.
Griem hasn’t had her own vaccination shot yet since she’s not eligible. When told she should have no problem scheduling her own appointment when she becomes eligible thanks to all of her homework, Griem didn’t hesitate to say her focus will remain unchanged for as long as the help of her Facebook group is needed.
“Yes, it should be easy for me to find a location. But I will put everyone else before me,” she said. “The people with serious risk of illness or death need to come first.”