Thanks to a partnership between Yolo County and American Medical Response (AMR) homebound seniors 65 and older can schedule free in-home COVID-19 vaccinations.
Yolo County Public Information Officer Jenny Tan said there are seniors in the county unable to leave their homes to get vaccinated at drive-through or walk-up vaccination sites. The solution was to partner with AMR.
Tan said seniors or their representatives should call 2-1-1 or toll free at 855-866-1783 to have their names placed on the homebound vaccination list. Once their name is on the list, an AMR representative will call to schedule the vaccination appointment. Once the list is complete, a dedicated AMR mobile unit will be dispatched one day each week. The service is available for both first and second vaccinations.
Partnerships — like the one with AMR — are crucial to ensure all residents of the county can be vaccinated, added Tan. Thus far, she said more than 100 homebound seniors have been vaccinated.
In simplified terms, being homebound means the inability to leave one’s home without difficulty. Questions regarding qualifications can be discussed with the 2-1-1 operator when calling to schedule an appointment.
2-1-1 Yolo is a 24-hour information hub for Yolo County residents providing referrals to vital health and human services, information and resources.
Deborah Webster, 2-1-1 call center specialist, said operators work to help callers manage expectations and provide community links to appropriate resources. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began Webster said the number of calls the center receives has greatly increased and that it’s not uncommon to receive up to 500 to 600 calls in a day.
