Regional Partnership Mobilizes to Assist Vaccination Process for Older Adults

The Rappahannock News reports that the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District in Virginia has partnered with Aging Together, the PATH Volunteer Hub, and Novant University of Virginia (UVA) Culpeper Medical Center to set up COVID-19 vaccination appointments for area seniors. Aging Together has enlisted and coordinated a corps of volunteers, mainly through its County Team members, to call and make appointments for residents on the Health District's survey list. They are calling those 65 and older who filled out the regional health department's online "survey" before Feb. 16. This initiative aims to expedite the response to high volume, and is part of a mobilization alliance with Novant UVA Culpeper Medical Center, which will distribute the vaccines at Germanna Community College in the weeks ahead. The volunteer call team has been trained to identify themselves properly, and must sign a confidentiality agreement. They are not permitted to ask recipients for credit card, bank, or other payment information, or query for social security numbers; however, they are asking certain screening questions that are fairly simple or that relate to direct information. "We especially understand the concern about scammers who target older adults by phone to fraudulently acquire personal information," said Aging Together Executive Director Ellen Phipps. "We are very serious about protecting those who are called for these appointments."