When Indiana residents in their 30s became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, Kimberlyn Teh and her husband, Kean, began looking everywhere for an appointment.
There was nothing available around their hometown of Fort Wayne, so they widened their search. Eventually, they found a site with open time slots, but it was nearly 100 miles away.
On Wednesday, they made the two-hour trip south to Reid Health’s Kuhlman Center Vaccine Clinic where Kimberlyn received the 30,000th vaccine dose administered by the health system.
Kean is among those who are high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19 and the couple are planning to travel internationally, so they wanted to get vaccinated quickly after becoming eligible.
Because of Kean’s health status, the Tehs have tried to isolate themselves as much as possible during the pandemic, even keeping their daughter from going to daycare.
“I believe getting vaccinated is a personal choice. Whether someone does or doesn’t is totally up to them,” Kimberlyn said. “But I believe in getting vaccinated for the good of the community.”
Reid’s community vaccination clinic at the Kuhlman Center on the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Richmond is open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday.
Appointments should be scheduled through the state website, ourshot.in.gov, using either the Firefox or Chrome web browser. After an appointment has been made, a link will be sent to complete the registration. That information doesn’t have to be filled out before arriving for the scheduled vaccination but doing so ahead of time will speed up the process.
If you need help getting an appointment, you can register directly with the Kuhlman Center Vaccine Clinic by calling (765) 935-8484 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
The Indiana Department of Health also has designated 211 as a call line for assistance, but Reid has been made aware at least some local sites aren’t showing for 211 staff as having available appointments. Patients should specifically ask for the Kuhlman Center if 211 staff don’t initially offer it as an option.
Everyone 16 and older now is eligible to be vaccinated in Indiana, but only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for those ages 16-17. Reid’s Kuhlman Center site uses the Pfizer product.
Parents or legal guardians of minor children who will be vaccinated need to be present at the child’s appointment.
“With eligibility for getting the vaccine greatly expanded, we want to get as many shots into arms as possible,” said Thomas Huth, M.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs at Reid Health. “The quicker we can get everyone vaccinated, the quicker we can return to a normal life.”
Reid has been made a host site by the IDOH with responsibility for helping to vaccinate Wayne, Randolph, Union, and Fayette counties. County health departments in those areas also are offering vaccinations through their own clinics. Those are located at:
- Wayne County: 601 E. Main St., Richmond
- Randolph County: 1885 U.S. 27, Winchester
- Union County: 6 W. South St., Liberty
- Fayette County: 401 Central Ave., Connersville
For anyone who might need help getting to the Kuhlman Center, family members should assist with scheduling to ensure transportation will be available at the time of the appointment.
The City of Richmond is providing no-charge bus service to the Kuhlman Center. To schedule a ride, patients will need to call (765) 983-7227 or (765) 983-7301. Bus operation hours are 6:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Paratransit also will provide rides to the clinic Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Once on site, patients will find directional signs and the phone number to call upon their arrival, (765) 935-8484.
