DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has announced a partnership with 211 Iowa to provide vaccine navigation services for Iowans ages 65-plus. The partnership between 211 Iowa and the Iowa Department of Health launched March 9. Any Iowan, age 65-plus, 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.
In order to accommodate the expected call volume, 211 Iowa will be adding an additional 75 temporary staff for the next two months. 211 offers a callback feature so callers can receive a return call instead of waiting on hold. Services are available in 150-plus languages through Language Line translation.
“All temporary staff will be dedicated to vaccine navigation,” said Melissa McCoy, Iowa’s 211 director. “Our regular 211 staff will remain focused on the traditional 211 service and the COVID-19 Hotline.”