A COVID-19 call center that was hammered with more than 1,800 calls last week alone will be getting some extra bodies to handle the volume.
Tuesday morning, Grays Harbor County Commissioners unanimously approved the hiring of four additional staff “so our local response can ensure access to COVID-19 vaccinations through mass-vaccination efforts,” according to the submitted request.
The temporary hires will be made through Express Employment Services. The positions pay $21 hourly, according to the request, and 100% of the funds for the hires will come from local health jurisdiction CARES Act relief dollars.
“We have money set aside for these positions and will only use as many as are needed,” said Grays Harbor Public Health Healthy Families Program Manager Kristina Alnajjar. “Right now we are asking for four but we might only fill one right away.”
Commissioner Vickie Raines said the hires were to work the overtaxed staff dealing with the call center, doing the scheduling and working the database for the mass vaccination site.
County Community Development Director Mark Cox explained that by using Express the county was not responsible for benefits or much of the management services needed with direct county hires.Any issues are handled by Express, and when the positions are no longer needed they are cut.
County incident management team information officer Nick Falley told the Daily World on Tuesday about the 1,800 calls overwhelming the call center last week, the first few days of the county’s mass-vaccination site in Aberdeen.
Raines said there was also an issue brought up in a team meeting earlier this week with people signing up more than once on the county’s vaccination intake form, creating more work for the already-busy staff.
Falley provided a rundown of how the vaccination intake system works, as there has been some confusion surrounding it. More than 11,000 have signed up so far.
Fill out the online form, which can be accessed online at http://www.healthygh.org/directory/covid19. When you have completed the form, you will get a screen that tells you your form has been completed, and you will be contacted when the county has a dose for you. There is no reason to contact the call center to make sure you are on the list once you have filled out the form.
Falley said the county is now responding via email when appointments are available, but will still call if the applicant doesn’t have email. The email will contain a link, where the individual fills out some information and selects a time slot during the vaccination day provided. There will be other information, including a map that directs you to the site.
The mass vaccination site has scheduled 975 people for their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine Thursday. Again, this site is by appointment only through the county intake form. Anyone who shows up who is not scheduled will be turned away.
Appointments will be scheduled based on the approved phase and tier distribution system as more vaccines become available.
