Penn Highlands Healthcare Expands COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts

Penn Highlands Healthcare is now vaccinating anyone that meets the Pennsylvania Department of Health Phase 1A and 1B following the DOH’s updated COVID-19 vaccine rollout timeline recently announced.

Phase 1A includes anyone 65 or older and those 16-64 with high-risk conditions including: Cancer; Chronic kidney disease; Down Syndrome, Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies; Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines; Obesity (body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2); Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2); Pregnancy; Sickle cell disease; Smoking; Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Phase 1B includes front-line essential workers: first responders (e.g., firefighters and police officers), corrections officers, food and agricultural workers, U.S. Postal Service workers, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, public transit workers, and those who work in the education sector (teachers and support staff members) as well as child care workers.

Penn Highlands Healthcare is taking names to be put on a waitlist for individuals in the Pennsylvania Department of Health COVID-19 Vaccination Phase 1C. Phase 1C will be eligible beginning April 12. Phase 1C includes all other essential workers: workers in transportation and logistics, water and wastewater, food service, shelter and housing (e.g., construction), finance (e.g., bank tellers), information technology and communications, energy, legal, media, and public safety (e.g., engineers), and public health workers. All Pennsylvanians will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine beginning April 19.

To sign-up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, visit www.phhealthcare.org/coronavirus or call the PHH Vaccine Information Line at 814-503-4735.