Vaccine Impact News: From Troy, New York
The Genoa Healthcare pharmacy located within the Unity House of Troy may be on the small side, but it has made a big impact in its Troy, New York, community by administering COVID-19 vaccines.
The pharmacy was one of the first Genoa Healthcare sites in New York State to receive the vaccine. The pharmacy team wasted no time letting consumers and staff members know that the vaccine was available to them, and communicating about vaccine ability with the broader community. A few weeks ago, the pharmacy — which serves about 160 people per month — hit a major milestone of 1,000 vaccine shots administered.
“The first few weeks we were fielding hundreds of calls and inquiries a day,” said Kristen Bohne, site manager for the Troy, New York, Genoa pharmacy. “Once vaccine demand slowed, we continued working hard to ensure people knew there were available vaccines at our site. Our clinic also provides a daily free meal to members of the community, so every day we would connect with those people to sign them up for the vaccine.”
The Troy pharmacy is located in an underserved area, and Bohne said that being able to administer vaccines to people who don’t have permanent housing, have high anxiety levels or do not feel comfortable entering a hospital or a large clinic has helped build a sense of community.
People with serious mental illness are at an increased risk of contracting COVID-19 and are also more likely to be hospitalized and experience serious complications, including death. This group faces additional barriers to vaccination and limited access to preventive care.
Consumers feel comfortable at Unity House and the Genoa pharmacy, which has helped ensure people return for their second doses, Bohne added. “People were extremely appreciative of the opportunity to be vaccinated,” she said.
