NTCA members have always been committed neighbors who step up to the plate when their communities need help. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, NTCA providers have worked alongside their community partners to make sure people were connected when life went almost exclusively online. And now, as COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out throughout the United States, it’s no surprise that NTCA members are once again lending a hand to their communities to get residents vaccinated.
West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative (WCTEL) (Abbeville, S.C.) has coordinated with local health care providers throughout the pandemic to help with COVID-19 testing and now has shifted its support to mass vaccination. When the Abbeville Area Medical Center (AAMC) realized it didn’t have wireless or phone service in the parking lot where it had set up a vaccination site, organizers called WCTEL, which set up both a wireless connection and a VPN phone system at the site within an hour. Since then, thanks to connectivity from WCTEL, AAMC has been able to administer 400 vaccines per day. WCTEL also held a drive-through vaccination opportunity for employees, contractors and family.
In addition, Nex-Tech (Hays, Kan.) has partnered with the First Care Clinic in Hays and the Hays Public Library to provide cloud phone, internet and free Wi-Fi for temporary vaccination sites. And as the weather starts to warm up, Range (Forsyth, Mont.) is working with county officials to sponsor live music outside their public health building to entertain residents as they wait the recommended 15 minutes after a vaccination to ensure they are not experiencing any abnormal reactions.
The three FDA-approved vaccines produced by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have been proven safe and effective against COVID-19. NTCA encourages members who are helping with vaccine efforts in their communities to share their stories on social media using the hashtag #NTCACares.
You can follow NTCA on social media twitter.com/NTCAconnect and facebook.com/NTCAruraltelecom.
