With the Indiana State Department of Health lowering the age limit for COVID-19 vaccinations this week, Reid Health has seen a surge in appointments and reached its 10,000th dose given since vaccinations began in mid-December.

Reid passed the milestone Wednesday at its public mass vaccination clinic at the Kuhlman Center on the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Richmond. An average of about 414 doses a day have been given out by Reid over the past week.

“This is another step toward the end of the pandemic,” said Thomas Huth, M.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs for Reid Health. “There’s still more to be done. Many more people will need to be vaccinated before we can return to normal life, but each milestone gets us that much closer to our goal.”

The ISDH announced Monday it had lowered the age limit for vaccinations. Those now eligible include:

  • Any Hoosier age 65 and older;
  • Healthcare workers who live or work in Indiana and have face-to-face interactions with patients or contact with infectious materials in a healthcare setting; and
  • First responders who are firefighters, police officers or sheriff’s deputies, Emergency Medical Services, reservists or correctional officers who live or work in Indiana and who are regularly called to the scene of an emergency to give medical aid.

Anyone who meets one of those criteria is eligible to be vaccinated at Reid’s Kuhlman Center clinic.

Patients must schedule a visit through the state website, ourshot.in.gov, using either the Firefox or Chrome web browser. Hours at the Kuhlman Center (861 N. Salisbury Road) are 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday.

The state 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 list it as an option.

If you still can’t schedule an appointment at the Kuhlman Center through 211, please call 765-935-8484 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“This is another step toward the end of the pandemic. There’s still more to be done. Many more people will need to be vaccinated before we can return to normal life, but each milestone gets us that much closer to our goal.” — Thomas Huth, M.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs

For those individuals who might need help getting to their vaccination, family members should assist with scheduling to ensure transportation will be available at the time of the appointment.

Once on site, patients will find directional signs and a phone number to call upon their arrival.

Reid has been designated a host site by the ISDH with responsibility for helping to vaccinate Wayne, Randolph, Union and Fayette counties. Each county’s health department also is offering vaccinations at clinics of their own. 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

After a visit has been scheduled, patients will be sent a link to complete their registration. That information doesn’t have to be filled out before arriving for their scheduled vaccination but doing so ahead of time will speed up the process.

Only those who live or work in Indiana are eligible to be vaccinated in the state. Ohio residents who don’t work in Indiana should visit coronavirus.ohio.gov to learn more about how to get vaccinated in their home counties.

Those with questions about the COVID-19 vaccine can call Reid Health’s hotline at 765-965-4200 and they can visit the FAQ section of the Reid website.