Galveston County seeks help to issue vaccine
Office of Emergency Management searching for volunteers to assist in administering the 6,000 to 7,000 doses county getting each week
The Galveston County Office of Emergency Management is seeking volunteers to help administer COVID-19 vaccinations. And, it turns out, volunteering to dish out vaccines could be the key to obtaining one yourself.
The county’s vaccine hub, located at Walter Hall Park in League City, was originally staffed by health care workers from the University of Texas Medical Branch.
“As we’ve gotten more doses and moved forward, they still have jobs at UTMB to do,” OEM spokesperson Zach Davidson said. “So we’ve started reaching out to the community, and the response has been incredible.”
In the past few days, nursing students from Galveston College have helped staff the vaccine hub, along with workers from Houston Physicians hospital. But now the county is reaching out to the public for extra hands.
“We’re looking for as many volunteers as we can get,” Davidson said. “Right now, the county is receiving 6,000 to 7,000 doses of the vaccine (per week), and we expect that number to increase as that allocation number goes up.”
Volunteering is easy, said Davidson.
“If you’d like to volunteer, the easiest way is to go to the Office of Emergency Management website – gcoem.org – and click on the link about what license you have, and what you’re able to do,” he said.
The county is looking specifically for licensed health care professionals who can help with distribution. But there is also room for those who are unlicensed.
Applicants will be asked to include days and times they are free to volunteer. Staff members in Davidson’s office are working with the Galveston Health District to ensure that medical volunteers possess the proper licenses.
Non-medical professionals, Davidson said, “can help with logistics, traffic control” and other needs at the vaccine site.
“When we get our vaccine allocations, and figure out what days we need volunteers, we’ll reach out and say, ‘You said you can volunteer on these days. Are you available?’” Davidson said.
Volunteers need not be vaccinated to administer vaccines, Davidson said.
“We have all the necessary PPE. The county has been stockpiling it, and we have large supplies. We also have vendors if we need more,” Davidson said. “If you do come and volunteer, we’ll make sure that you do get a vaccine.”