HIGHLAND — Sometimes little things mean a lot, even just a brief visit from someone with medicine. Paramedics with Superior Ambulance have learned they’re carrying more than a vaccine.
“It’s a very warm feeling, knowing we’re giving them help,” Alicia Begeske said of her company’s involvement with the Homebound Hoosier program, bringing COVID-19 vaccine to those who cannot leave home. “People said it’s nice to know they can get the vaccine.”
Begeske and fellow Superior paramedics Tristan DeFord and Ben Kresal have administered 100 vaccinations around Lake County over the past several weeks, with more to come.
Homebound Hoosier is a COVID-19 vaccine delivery program designed to connect local health departments with homebound individuals throughout Indiana. The program is a collaboration of the Indiana Department of Health, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, local health departments and local EMS agencies.
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Superior Ambulance is the lead local agency for Lake County.
State Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster, called a news conference Friday at Superior Ambulance to report on the state program.
“Working together, we’re going to make a difference in helping someone,” Andrade said. “What acts of kindness we are able to leave behind us.”
The main objective of Homebound Hoosier is to bring this vaccine to populations who cannot get to vaccination sites. Andrade said qualifying recipients through Hoosier Homebound include people with disabilities, people with no one to drive them, and single moms.
Dr. Michael Kaufmann, state EMS medical director, explained that Hoosiers can be included on the vaccination portal by calling 211 or contacting their local state agency on aging. From there, the state contacts local EMS departments, such as Superior, that have volunteered to administer the vaccine.
As Begeske explained, once Superior is notified, crews obtain the vaccine from the county health department, then notify the individual. Once at the person’s residence, Begeske said, a paramedic will obtain basic medical information from the individual, administer the vaccine, and then stay 15-20 minutes to determine any ill effects.
During that short stay, Begeske said, paramedics learn more than the medical history of the people, whose ages have ranged from 19 to 90.
“So far, it’s been a lot of fun,” Kresal said. “A lot of times, these people don’t get out. Sometimes we’re the first people they’ve seen in a while. We learn a lot about their life story.”
DeFord added, “We get to know these people. A lot of them did not know where to go for shots. Once they get the shot, they tell us, ‘Now we can have our grandkids over.’”
The Indiana Department of Health plans to allocate more vaccines to support those residents who have signed up through Homebound Hoosier.
Kaufmann added that within a few weeks, the state expects to vaccinate all those on the Homebound Hoosier portal.