PHD announces mobile vaccine teams

BONNERS FERRY — The Panhandle Health District is bringing the COVID-19 vaccine to you.

Health district officials announced Wednesday that the district is offering mobile vaccine teams that will come to local businesses or organization to vaccinate employees and their families.

“We offer mobile vaccine teams throughout flu season for businesses and organizations, so our team is experienced in providing this sort of service,” said Don Duffy, PHD Health Services administrator. “If there is a way that we can remove any barriers for those who want the vaccine, we want to do that for our community.”

The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine will be used in the majority of the mobile vaccine clinics. In order to qualify for a mobile vaccine team visit, you must need vaccines for a minimum of 20 people. That can include employees, volunteers, and their families. PHD offers the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to individuals at their Hayden, Sandpoint, and Bonners Ferry office locations by appointment. If you wish to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, appointments can be made via PHD’s website.

PHD has also made changes to their mass vaccine sites. The Kootenai County Fairgrounds mass vaccine clinic will move to North Idaho College's Coeur d’Alene and Rathdrum campuses beginning next week. Mass vaccine sites in Boundary, Benewah, and Shoshone counties will close and all vaccine appointments will be made at PHD’s clinical office locations in those counties. The Bonner Ccounty clinic will remain the same.

“With summer quickly approaching, we knew the fairgrounds would need their space back,” said Duffy. “We coordinated with NIC and now can offer a mass vaccine site in two locations in Kootenai County utilizing their campus locations. The other mass vaccine sites in the other counties we serve have been seeing low appointment numbers, so maintaining large, off-site locations was no longer necessary. People can conveniently schedule an appointment with any of our clinic locations nearest them.”

If your business or organization would like to inquire about a mobile vaccine team coming to your location, call 208-415-5226.

If you have questions about COVID-19 in our area, call PHD’s COVID-19 hotline Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., 1-877-415-5225.