Will County Gets $1.6M For New COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center

WILL COUNTY, IL — The Will County Health Department has been inundated with inquiries over the last few weeks from residents seeking information on COVID-19 vaccinations. With that in mind, Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant requested $5 million last month from the Will County Board committee that is in charge of distributing more than $100 million the county received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

In a special meeting Monday, the committee authorized a contract for a new COVID-19 call center to assist the health department with their call response.

"The health department has been overwhelmed fielding calls from residents seeking information about the vaccine," said County Board Speaker Mimi Cowan (D-Naperville). "The county board has stepped in with extra funding to make sure residents get the information that they need and can get scheduled for a vaccination appointment."

The board authorized the contract with Harris and Harris to operate a call center that will support WCHD. Harris and Harris will be charged with fielding intake requests and providing follow-up calls to remind residents of their appointment and when they can schedule their second dose.

The contract will be for a six-month period costing $1.6 million. The county will use funds from the CARES Act that were distributed last year.

"We still have funds from the CARES Act that we can use to fund this call center," said County Board Minority Leader Mike Fricilone (R-Homer Glen). "There is no question that this is an appropriate way to use these funds. Residents are relying on the health department for their vaccinations and the county board has stepped up to fund this need."

Sue Olenek, the executive director of the health department, said during a virtual meeting last week that the department's COVID-19 hotline for answering questions about the disease and testing has been crashing due to the volume of calls. Moreover, she said she does not have enough staff, and it has been overwhelming for them while residents are getting frustrated with the delay in the vaccine rollout.

County Board member and Public Health and Safety Committee Chair Rachel Ventura (D-Joliet) emphasized that a lack of vaccine stock has hampered the immunization rollout throughout the state and made scheduling appointments difficult.

"There is a shortage of vaccines in Illinois and nationally," Ventura said. "This makes it very challenging to schedule appointments because the health department doesn’t always know when their next shipment will be delivered, let alone how many doses will be included."

Harris and Harris operates call centers nationally and is expected to hit the ground running. Board members expect the new call center to begin fielding calls as soon as the staff is hired and trained which could happen in the next week or two.

"Residents can expect better response times and follow up for scheduling and appointments when they call the health department," Cowan said.

Board members are urging their constituents to register for their vaccination online at the Will County Health Department’s website, www.willcountyhealth.org or by calling the health department at (815) 723-9713. Residents will be notified when there is vaccination available, and it is time to schedule their appointment.

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