St. Bernards Healthcare announced it will schedule appointments to any community member at least 16 years of age who wishes to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at no charge.
The healthcare system receives vaccine requests through an online registration process and a dedicated call center. In addition, eligible applicants must reside within St. Bernards’ service area in northeast Arkansas.
Regional residents may volunteer for a vaccine appointment by visiting https://www.stbernards.info/covid-vaccine and completing the online, HIPAA-compliant form. In addition, persons without internet access may call (870) 351-7171 for help completing it.
St. Bernards Medical Center Administrator Michael Givens said St. Bernards wanted to create a seamless process to receive the vaccine.
“We believe we must do whatever we can to help, whether a person has a patient history with us or not,” Givens said. “We encourage any northeast Arkansas resident to contact us for an appointment.”
St. Bernards will administer the vaccines at St. Bernards Auditorium, located at 505 East Washington Avenue in Jonesboro, at no charge to all recipients. Individuals are encouraged to make appointments in advance.
To date, St. Bernards has administered COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2020. Individuals who receive an initial dose also receive an appointment for a second dose, scheduled for 21 or 28 days later, depending upon the vaccine's manufacturer. Should St. Bernards administer vaccines from another manufacturer, it will make appointments for follow-up doses based on recommendations from the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).