MISSOULA — Knowing when and where to get vaccinated as we move into Phase 1B can be overwhelming -- especially with thousands falling into this category.
But a new call center in Missoula is now open to clear up those questions and streamline the process.
The Missoula County Vaccine Coordination Team has launched a call center to assist those who have questions as Montana transitions to Phase 1B of COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
“What we really want to do is reduce confusion about how and where people would be able to begin accessing vaccine,” said Missoula County Office of Emergency Management Director Adriane Beck.
Beck says the coordination between the Missoula City-County Health Department, the Office of Emergency Management, and the providers have been key in getting this service up and running.
In a fairly short period of time, the call center has gone from an idea to a fully functioning operation.
“We were able to train up about 25 individuals to work in that call center recognizing that we’re going to need to have that staffed in regular hours so that the public can access that information if they can’t access the website,” Beck explained.
The goal of the call center is simple; to be able to fully assist those who have questions, so that the providers can focus on getting the vaccine out without having to take those calls.
The Missoula Vaccine Call Center will have all the provider information on hand.
“Their role really is to communicate and help navigate the information that is on the website, so that when someone calls up and says, I usually get the flu shot at pharmacy x, we are able to read to them what pharmacy x is saying about that,” Beck told MTN News.
Beck says that they prefer people to visit the website as all updated information will be on the site. But she also recognizes that some prefer to speak to someone directly and the Missoula COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center will be available at (406) 258-INFO.
Missoula County health officials learned from state health administrators they can expect approximately 1,500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine each week for the foreseeable future.