Program aims to help seniors with shots
It hasn’t been for a lack of trying, but 81-year-old Marie Trascher, like thousands of others, is struggling to get an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine. Her struggle lies in her inability to use a computer to register. She’s desperate for the help and didn’t know where to turn; but through a Precinct 4 Encore! program for seniors, there’s help available for her and the thousands of others who may not have the skills or patience to dial dozens of times just to get assistance.
“All I can do is look at emails and send emails,” she said about her technology skills.
Her husband died last year, and it was his computer, and he was the one who set up all the files.
Apart from emailing, even the simplest tasks are monumental for her.
“I called the number I saw on the television, but I never could get through” despite multiple attempts.
By her age alone, she qualifies for the first round of doses under the state’s guidelines, but the Cypress senior has tumors in three parts of her body and suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“I’m kind of anxious about getting it, but not too worried. I’m alone and I come in contact with few people outside of the grocery store,” she said.
Encore! in Harris County Commissioner Jack Cagle’s Precinct 4, sponsored two vaccination clinics for seniors 65 and older. The second dosage in the pilot program was completed Wednesday.
Registration assistance
It was only one of many attempts to help constituents, said Jan Sexton, director of Encore!
Early in the pandemic, Sexton said, her staff began making care calls. Each staff member was provided a cellphone, a part of the divided list, and while they worked from home, they contacted seniors in their program to find out what they needed.
“If they needed food, we referred them to a corresponding agency. Whatever they needed, we tried to connect them with the social service to help them,” she said.
If they were lonely, staff stayed on the phone and talked to them, offering comfort.
“These are people we’ve grown to know and love who use our services. They ride our buses, they come to the community center, they attend our Encore! events. We have grown to love them as well.
“For a lot of them, they are the last leaf on the tree in their family and we’ve developed special relationships with them,” Sexton said.
It was a natural progression for the Encore! staff when Cagle wanted them to help register seniors for the vaccine.
“We just changed the script and helped walk them through the vaccination process. If they’re on a computer, we’ll sit there with them virtually over the phone. Step by step, we’ll walk them through how to get signed up with the county website,” Sexton said.
She said staff became a listening ear, understanding the seniors’ frustration for wanting a commodity that’s in such demand that the supply’s not there.
“We also work with the families so they can find out the information and help their loved one get registered,” she said.
Their work isn’t limited to Precinct 4 alone.
“Anybody that finds out we’re offering help, we’re going to answer the phone no matter who’s on the other end. That’s what we’re there to do. Word travels fast, and a friend in our database may have friends and refer us, too. Geographical boundaries don’t matter to us,” she said.
‘Light at end of tunnel’
Trascher had heard about the new center set up by the Houston Methodist Texans football camp.
“I do drive, but I don’t know where NRG is, but my neighbor who is really helpful said he would take me if I could get an appointment,” she said. She learned about the mega dosing center currently underway at the stadium complex in Houston.
Harris County Public Health is scheduling the vaccinations at the mega center on its website and at various locations throughout the county.
“The vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel for this disease,” said Martha Marquez, spokesperson for HCPH. The agency is connecting seniors and anyone else in the county with virus testing and, for those on Schedule 1A and 1B, with the vaccine.
As of Feb. 9, Marquez said they had received 64,000 doses of the vaccine.
“It’s a lot, but not enough to make a dent in the demand,” she said.
In the county, Marquez said, the total who qualify for the first round of doses is about 1.6 million people.
It’s a daunting number, but the new NRG center will inoculate as many as 6,000 people per day over the next several weeks.
“Everyone is really focused on receiving the vaccine, but there’s still a need for testing while they’re waiting for the vaccine because that list is huge,” Marquez said.
Testing is widely available throughout the county.
“Fortunately, we are not the only provider (of the vaccines). There are others in our area,” Marquez said, including hospitals and retailers such as H-E-B, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and numerous others that can be found on the county website.
Marquez encouraged seniors to get on as many lists as they could and not be dependent solely on the Harris County site.
For people who don’t have internet or computer access, the county has established a Harris County Public Health COVID Hotline at 832-927-8787 to schedule appointments. They may also visit the website readyharris.org.
For seniors needing help to register, call the Precinct 4 office at 713-274-4050, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and ask for an Encore! staffer for assistance.