Courtesy Hopedale Medical Complex
Hopedale Medical Complex is among nine rural critical access hospitals statewide receiving direct COVID-19 vaccine allocations under a new safety net program.
The Tazewell County-based health care system is now receiving a weekly vaccine allocation directly from the federal government under the Safety Net Direct Vaccine Allocation Pilot Program that seeks to boost vaccine access in rural, underserved areas.
Emily Whitson is chief operating officer of Hopedale Medical Complex (HMC). Particularly here, we have some very aged patients, Whitson said. And patients that aren t going to have internet access, and/or they just don t use it. So that makes it even more difficult to make sure that population, which is the most vulnerable, are getting their vaccine.
PUBLISHED 8:30 PM ET Mar. 12, 2021 PUBLISHED 8:30 PM EST Mar. 12, 2021
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VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis says most Florida counties have vaccinated at least half of their senior population and expects that number to improve as vaccine supply ramps up.
What You Need To Know
Gov. Ron DeSantis says most Florida counties have vaccinated at least half of the senior population
Starting Monday, he announced that the state will lower the minimum age to get the COVID-19 vaccine to 60
By the end of the month, it may be lowered again to 55, DeSantis said
Beginning Monday, Florida will lower the minimum age to get a vaccine to 60 and DeSantis said that could get lowered to 55 by the end of the month.
“I think this is a really big deal because it means that so many people who are uninsured now are going to be eligible for health (coverage),” said Cynthia Cox, the vice-president at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. “It’s not quite getting us to universal health care, but it is getting us much closer to universal eligibility for insurance, at least among U.S. citizens.”
Melanie Hall is with the Family Health Care Foundation, which helps people enroll in the Affordable Care Act in the immediate Tampa Bay area. She says that there are several groups of individuals who have been previously shut out of accessing the ACA because of the price tag that now might be able to afford it.
Bradley University commencement ceremonies will be held in-person this spring.
Six ceremonies will be hosted at Shea Stadium on May 15 and May 16. The university said it is breaking its usual one ceremony into six to allow for smaller gatherings and social distancing.
Students and guests will be expected to wear masks and sanitize. Each graduate can bring two guests. Ceremonies will be livestreamed.
“I am delighted by this announcement, it’s been a long time coming, said Bradley President Stephen Standifird in a prepared statement. Throughout the academic year, we have hoped for the best but remained vigilant in order to get here. I am so proud of our campus community, and I can’t wait to celebrate our 2020 and 2021 graduates face-to-face.”
Courtesy Patti Welander
This story is part of a special episode of Sound Ideas airing March 12, marking the one-year anniversary of COVID s arrival in McLean County. Find more stories in the series.
A growing number of COVID-19 survivors are disproving the narrative that it s a two-week illness. So-called COVID long haulers experience symptoms months after they contract the novel coronavirus.
Sarah Welander, 20, of LeRoy tested positive for COVID last October. She long suffered from a stutter and cognitive issues that doctors think were likely caused by a ministroke. Welander’s stutter has mostly cleared, but other challenges persist.
“I guess my biggest struggle right now is thinking which is, I mean, that s a weird thing to say,” Welander said. “I m still dealing heavily with the COVID fog I m in. So I haven t been able to return to college and take classes because I m not able to read and process information.”