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Editorial:
NYS 'Betrays' 3 WNY Rural Counties; Elderly: 'Bound' to their Phones, 'Tortured' by Lengthy Lines
Here's a suggestion for the Office of Vaccine Dispersal: Develop your ideas of vaccinating the elderly and handicapped in conjunction with the Office of the Aging. Why? Because the Office of the Aging seems to know what's possible and not possible with the elderly and handicapped.
NYS appeared amazingly responsive and compassionate when they rapidly setup a new vaccine clinic within days of receiving a request for it and designating it for targeting the elderly of the original three counties that requested it. NYS planned for it by way of zip codes. NYS apparently promised what they apparently weren't willing to deliver.
NYS, without consulting any of the professionals knowledgeable on the subject of elderly and handicapped, "opened" the clinic through a posting on the world wide web, to all of WNY and guess what? By the time the elderly received notice of the new clinic, all of the available appointments were gone. The targeted group had been, in the blink of an eye, disenfranchised. Over 52% of appointments were with folks from the Buffalo and Rochester areas.
NYS, without taking any corrective action, advised the newly disenfranchised to "occasionally" call back to see if anyone changed or abandoned their appointments. Have you ever tried to "occasionally" call a number that you knew everyone else was trying to call for the same reason and actually expect to have your call become "a winner"? It's like playing the lottery--you have to OVERPLAY it--sit at the phone and keep punching in the numbers fairly regularly. The repeat key on a few phones is really not an option because of the computerized pre-registration requiring the answering of questions for eligibility determination [Walgreens].
If you are lucky enough to score an appointment, then you have the tortuous situation of standing out in the weather in a long line with your arthritis, bursitis, bad hips and knees, incontinence concerns, diabetic demands, spinal stenosis, and a bevy of other old age pains that accompany us most of the day.
Sorry if it doesn't rhyme, but we have Meals on Wheels, why not Vaccines on Wheels? Even just to stop in front of the home of the elderly or handicapped would be tremendously helpful. Perhaps a spare National Guard crew or two. Most of all, please consult with knowledgeable people before advancing plans for the elderly and handicapped. Changing the rules in mid stream is rarely a good idea.
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