Agawam, West Springfield assisting seniors in receiving vaccinations

Feb. 10, 2021 | Ryan Feyre
rfeyre@thewestfieldnewsgroup.com

West Springfield and Agawam continue to assist residents 75 years of age and older with registering for vaccine clinics.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

AGAWAM/WEST SPRINGFIELD – Local officials in Agawam and West Springfield say they are doing everything they can to assist the senior population during the first step of  Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

The Phase 2 rollout, which began in Massachusetts on Feb. 1, will first vaccinate individuals who are 75 years of age and older.

Mayor William Sapelli has established a central registration phone line for Agawam and Feeding Hills residents only. This COVID-19 registration hotline number is 726-2840.

The goal of this hotline is to make it easier for those 75 and older individuals who originally had trouble utilizing online registration for the vaccine. Residents in this age group from Agawam and Feeding Hills just have to dial this number, and leave their name and phone number after the message prompt. No one else other than this age group can book an appointment as this current moment.

The senior center also asks residents to call and leave a message once, as they have already received double calls from individuals, which is making the process more difficult.

“We recognize that seniors either don’t have access to the necessary resources, or are uncomfortable using those resources,” said Michael Squindo, the director at the Agawam Senior Center.

According to Squindo, the senior center is working with the Agawam Park & Recreation Department, as well as other departments in the city, to assist the elderly with signing up for the vaccine. The senior center and the Town of Agawam began devising a plan for a central hotline during the last week of January.

“The IT Department worked very quickly and efficiently to get us set up, and at least have a basic structure ready to go,” said Squindo.

To sign up for the town clinic specifically, Agawam and Feeding Hills residents 75 and older must use that hotline. Squindo asks residents who have called the hotline to be patient, especially since the first week of using the hotline already garnered around 600 calls. Despite the large amount though, Squindo said that the town was able to return all of those calls by the end of that first week.

“We’re working with the Health Department to make sure we keep a tally on where we are for our count,” said Squindo. Those who called the hotline and booked for the town’s clinic will get two appointments for the two doses of the vaccine, according to Squindo.

“We are more than willing to work with people to get those folks registered for other sites if the time frame for the town clinics is not soon enough,” said Squindo. “We will help where we’re able too.”

Big Y, Stop & Shop in Feeding Hills, and the Eastfield Mall in Springfield are some of the other sites residents 75 and over can sign up for. People who want to go that route should however use the state website to register, rather than the Agawam/Feeding Hills hotline. Other general resources for the vaccine are also available on the state website.

The town is prepared to also register people for a second clinic, but Squindo said that they can only work with what they have now.

"There’s very limited doses available from the state to the local municipalities from week-to-week,” said Squindo. “We’re currently working within the parameters of what we currently have, and what we’re able to do.” Around 100 doses of the vaccine are coming into the town a week, according to Squindo.

The original plan in Agawam and Feeding Hills was to post the town clinic online so people could register themselves. The problem however, according to Squindo, is that there is no way to limit a public registration to a geographical area, so people from Eastern Mass. began registering for the clinic in Agawam.

“We had to unfortunately take down that public site because people aren’t refraining from registering everywhere and anywhere they can,” said Squindo.

Residents in Agawam and Feeding Hills are encouraged to call the hotline Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

West Springfield is also only allocated about 100 vaccines per week from the state, according to Carly Camossi, the mayor’s outreach coordinator in the city. As of right now, the city is hosting vaccination clinics at the West Springfield Senior Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“What we’ve learned is that we just really need staff,” said Camossi, with regard to the Phase 2 rollout process. “We converted the senior center into a call center for vaccinations.”

Residents in West Springfield will call the senior center at 263-3264 and follow the message prompt. The staff will then put those residents on a list, and fit them for an appointment as soon as the city can.

“One hundred vaccines is not a ton, but it is a good starting block for us because once we’re good doing that 100, that means we can amp it up,” said Camossi.  

Every first responder in West Springfield has already been vaccinated, as well as everyone who is a COVID-safety worker, according to Camossi. As of press time, there have been around 530 seniors who have called to book an appointment for a vaccine clinic.

For more information on the vaccine rollout in West Springfield, visit the website here: https://www.townofwestspringfield.org/government/news-communication/covid-19-information-updates/covid-vaccine-rollout. Vaccines are free, but residents may need medical insurance information and their email address when calling the senior center.

The city is also conducting free testing at the high school every Sunday in February from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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