PAWCATUCK NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER OFFERING RIDES TO VACCINES

Stonington — With many older residents now scheduling their first or second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center has announced it will use its handicapped-accessible bus to drive people to get their shot.

Center Executive Director Susan Sedensky said Wednesday that residents of Stonington, North Stonington and Westerly simply have to call the PNC at (860) 599-3285 to schedule a ride. The bus will pick them up at their home, drive them to the vaccine location, wait for them to get the shot and then drive them home.

She said just one or two people are allowed on the bus at any one time to ensure social distancing. The bus is available weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Because vaccine sites are changing, she said the bus will drive people to get a shot within a 20-mile radius of the center. While some people have taken advantage of the free service so far, she said, there “has not been as many as we would like.”

Sedensky said people who do not have easy access to transportation or who may be concerned about driving themselves home after they get the vaccine are among those who are taking advantage of the service.

She said people do not have to be PNC clients to use the shuttle bus. The center also has been helping people access the resources they need to schedule vaccines.

She said the center also has resumed driving people to their medical appointments, a service that had stopped for a time during the height of the pandemic.