VA opens COVID-19 vaccine appointments in Biloxi
The Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Biloxi is offering COVID-19 vaccines to military veterans on Saturday, Feb. 13, the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System announced Wednesday.
Drive-thru appointments will be available in Biloxi as well as at the Joint Ambulatory Care Center in Pensacola, Florida. Vaccines will be available to veterans “over the age of 65, veterans in residential behavioral health facilities, caregiver support recipients, veterans with spinal cord issues and eterans in long-term care facilities,” the press release said.
Vernon Stewart, chief of community and public affairs for the health care system, said veterans who are essential workers and have underlying health conditions are also eligible.
To make an appointment, veterans should call 1-800-296-8872.
Appointments will be scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Stewart said Biloxi and Pensacola will each have 550 doses available.
Stewart encouraged veterans who do not currently meet the criteria to receive a vaccine to call the hotline and express their interest.
“They do get added to a call-back list so that once their group is up, then we contact them to try and schedule them,” Stewart said.
Dr. M. Christopher Saslo, associate director for patient care services and nurse executive at the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System, said the appointments aimed to boost vaccine access for veterans on the Coast.
“With more than 75,000 registered Veterans throughout the Gulf Coast, it is vital to maximize these efforts in order to minimize risk to our veterans at risk for exposure,” he said.
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 11:14 AM.
