GREENFIELD — One of the Greenfield Fire Territory’s runs this week was to respond to an elderly woman who hasn’t left her apartment in eight months.
It wasn’t for a medical emergency or a fire, but to administer a COVID-19 vaccine that she’s unable to get by heading out to visit a clinic.
"If we can do something to give her a little peace of mind where she can feel comfortable leaving her residence, that’s worth more than the thank-you that she gives us," said R.J. Beaver, division chief of emergency medical services for the fire territory.
She was one of three residents to whom the fire territory delivered and administered vaccine doses on Thursday through the state’s new Homebound Hoosiers program.
Stephen Cox, executive director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, said during a media briefing last month that the program matches available vaccine from local health departments with homebound individuals in their service areas. Then emergency medical services agencies and fire departments deliver vaccine to their homes and administer it.
Area agencies on aging identify homebound individuals, whose information is entered into a secure, cloud-based portal, Cox continued.
The area agency on aging that serves Hancock County is Indianapolis-based CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions, which can be reached at 317-254-5465 or 800-432-2422.
Individuals must be eligible for the vaccine. In Indiana, as of Friday, that includes those age 50 and older, health-care workers, first-responders and those with certain underlying health conditions whose health care providers have provided their information to the state.
When vaccine becomes available from local health departments through appointment cancellations, no-shows or extra doses, they’re matched with homebound recipients, Cox said.
"As vaccine supplies continue to improve, we anticipate the program will expand and ultimately be able to reach more homebound individuals," he said.
Crystal Baker, office manager and preparedness coordinator for the Hancock County Health Department, said the first three doses of the county’s participation in the Homebound Hoosiers initiative went out Thursday through the Greenfield Fire Territory.
Beaver said paramedics went to the county health department to pick up the doses and paperwork before heading to the first residence. There, they went over the paperwork with the recipient, administered the dose and waited 15 minutes for any adverse reactions before heading to the next stop.
"We fit a niche that works well for us," Beaver said. "It’s in our wheelhouse, responding to people’s residences anyway."
All of the recipients were appreciative, he continued, adding the fire territory was glad to help.
"They can’t get out to get the vaccine, or it would just be so difficult for them to get out, so that’s why we’re more than happy to help out the health department," he said. "They’ve been more than helpful to us during the whole pandemic."
Beaver said more homebound vaccinations in the fire territory will be scheduled next week.
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Indiana’s Homebound Hoosiers program aims to get COVID-19 vaccine to eligible recipients unable to leave their homes. Area agencies on aging identify homebound residents for inclusion in the program. The agency serving Hancock County is Indianapolis-based CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions, which can be reached at 317-254-5465 or 800-432-2422.
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COVID-19 data through early Friday, March 5
Hancock County
- 394 new tests administered (Jan. 28-March 4)
- 11 new cases (March 4)
- 3% seven-day (Feb. 20-26) positivity rate all tests, 10.2% cumulative rate
- 1 new death (Feb. 27)
- 86,544 total tests administered
- 7,439 total cases
- 7.4% seven-day (Feb. 20-26) positivity rate unique individuals, 19.3% cumulative rate
- 134 total deaths
- 15,573 first vaccine doses administered
- 9,862 fully vaccinated
Indiana
- 37,754 new tests administered (July 13, 2020-March 4, 2021), 5,714 new individuals tested
- 879 new cases (April 22, 2020-March 4, 2021)
- 3.3% seven-day (Feb. 20-26) positivity rate all tests, 9.7% cumulative rate
- 32 new deaths (Dec. 25, 2020-March 4, 2021)
- 8,171,222 total tests administered
- 3,138,643 total individuals tested
- 665,285 total cases
- 9.1% seven-day (Feb. 20-26) positivity rate unique individuals, 21.2% cumulative rate
- 12,263 total deaths
- 434 total probable deaths
- 60.2% ICU beds in use – non-COVID, 5.6% ICU beds in use – COVID
- 34.2% ICU beds available
- 17.4% ventilators in use – non-COVID
- 2.3% ventilators in use – COVID
- 80.3% ventilators available
- 730 total COVID-19 patients (442 confirmed, 288 under investigation)
Source: Indiana State Department of Health
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