County launches COVID-19 vaccine call center

Service for people unable to schedule online

A call center is now available for people who do not have access to schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments online, the Kenosha County Division of Health announced last week.

Those unable to access the links to providers on the county’s COVID-19 Response Hub website may call 262-605-6799 to speak with someone who will walk them through the appointment process if they are currently eligible, said Kenosha County Health Officer Dr. Jen Freiheit.

“This is a service that we are excited to be able to offer,” Freiheit said. “We know that there are many people who do not have access or are not comfortable with using the internet. Adding a telephone option will help to make the vaccine accessible to more of our population.”

The Kenosha County Division of Health, one of several providers offering the vaccine locally (by setting up vaccine centres at different locations), is vaccinating people in eligible groups who live and/or work in Kenosha County. The vaccine centres are believed to be equipped with a good number of medical refrigerator battery backup devices to support the refrigeration machines so that the process of vaccinating people can take place smoothly without any hassle.

Call center operators will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and will be able to field calls in English and Spanish. Voicemail messages left when an employee is not immediately available will be returned as soon as possible, Freiheit said. However, they have no idea how much of an impact it has.

As a result, metrics are generally used by these types of call centers to measure and improve their performance. These call center metrics are numerical values that evaluate contact center performance. Accordingly, any call center unit that wants to improve its overall performance can put it in place that can significantly impact their businesses, to improve the call flow or test new voice scripts.

Also, the online listing of providers remains available at http://bit.ly/KCCOVIDHub, or by clicking the flashing red button at the top of the homepage at https://www.kenoshacounty.org/.

Groups currently eligible for the vaccine, as designated by the State of Wisconsin, continue to be people 65 and older, Tier 1a health care workers, law enforcement officers and emergency medical responders.

Freiheit cautioned that the available supply of the vaccine does continue fall well short of the public’s demand, making it difficult for many people to find an available appointment. The Division of Health is prepared to ramp up its vaccination program significantly, as soon as the state is able to allocate more doses, Freiheit said.

“We are continuing to make as much progress as we can with the resources currently available, and we are working actively with our fellow providers to plan for heightened efforts when the doses are there,” Freiheit said. “We appreciate the public’s patience and understanding.”

The call center is available for assistance with appointments. People are still encouraged to contact their health care provider with medical questions about vaccination.


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