211 Iowa to Help Those 65 and Older Get the COVID-19 Vaccine

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has announced a partnership with 211 Iowa to provide vaccine navigation services for Iowans ages 65+. The partnership between 211 Iowa and the Iowa Dept. of Health will launch March 9, 2021. Any Iowan, age 65+, simply calls 211 for assistance in making an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination.

211 will continue to serve as the COVID-19 Hotline in addition to expanding its role to help Iowa residents in Tier 1B navigate the COVID-19 vaccine process. 211 Iowa’s expanded role is a partnership with the state of Iowa, Hy-Vee and the Area Agencies on Aging – also known as the Triple A’s (AAA’s). 211 Iowa’s primary functions in the partnership will include data entry into shared documents and/or shared database and scheduling vaccine appointments for Iowa residents.

The 211 call specialists will ask for seniors' names and age or birth dates, but will not ask for social security numbers, insurance or financial information.

 Starting March 9, 211 Iowa will begin taking calls from  Iowans, 65 and older, who need assistance navigating the vaccine process. This phase will extend through the balance of the calendar year and over time, and as more vaccine becomes available, additional groups of Iowans who need help navigating the vaccine process will be able to contact 211 for assistance. Call specialists will be available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.

 At this time, only Iowans, 65 and older, are eligible for this service from 211. During the process, 211 Vaccine Navigators will have the ability to schedule older Iowans into vaccine appointments, through a private scheduling portal, at Hy-Vee Pharmacies. Additional pharmacies may take part in this partnership in the future but for now, the program is exclusively with Hy-Vee.

211 Iowa is a free statewide information and referral service available to residents in all 99 counties. Iowans can call, text, use the mobile app, or 211Iowa.org website any time of day on any day of the year to get connected to essential resources and programs that can help them meet their current need. 211 Iowa has served as the state’s official COVID-19 hotline since March of 2020.

For a state by state guide to COVID-19 vaccinations CLICK HERE

To see Dubuque's daily COID-19 update CLICK HERE