Greater Elgin Family Care Center offers COVID-19 vaccine for Phase 1A and 1B
Beginning Monday, Feb. 8, Greater Elgin Family Care Center will begin vaccinating existing center patients eligible under phase 1A and 1B at various Health Center locations. As a part of a coordinated effort with various counties including Cook, DeKalb, Kane and McHenry, Greater Elgin Family Care Center anticipates a sufficient supply of vaccines to begin offering the Moderna vaccine to eligible individuals.
Greater Elgin Family Care Center has engaged in an essential role in the fight against COVID-19 and continues to expand services in order to meet the needs of area residents.
Initially, the center began providing COVID-19 testing at the beginning of the pandemic, providing LabCorp's nasal swab testing, while later expanding this service to offer LabCorp's serological antibody testing and, recently, Abbott's BinaxNOW rapid test.
Virtual visits also continue to be offered at all 9 Health Centers to facilitate the provision of essential health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vaccine administration to existing Greater Elgin Family Care Center patients will initially be available in 3 locations beginning Feb. 8, 2021: Center for Family Health in Sycamore, Lake Health Center in Hanover Park and McHenry Community Health Center (Phase 1A and 65 years and over).
The Moderna vaccine will be available to existing patients in the following center locations by appointment only:
• Center for Family Health, 165 E. Plank Road, Sycamore, IL 60178;
• Lake Health Center, 1515 E. Lake St., Suite 202, Hanover Park, IL 60133;
• McHenry Community Health Center, 3901 Mercy Drive, McHenry, IL 60050.
Eligible patients interested in obtaining the vaccine must call (847) 608-1344 or (815) 363-9900 to schedule their 30-minute appointment.
Vaccines are available by appointment only. Center for Family Health will have appointments available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, Lake Health Center and McHenry Community Health Center will have appointments available from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Due to the nature of the vaccine, it is essential that appointments are kept to prevent vaccines from being wasted. Patients will schedule a second appointment to receive the second dose of the vaccine at the end of their first appointment.
Patients scheduled to receive the vaccine will be required to bring proof of eligibility for 1A or 1B such as an ID/driver's license, proof of employment, an employee ID, or a recent pay stub. If you are not eligible for the criteria for 1A or 1B, your appointment request will be rejected. To check your eligibility, please see pages 13-15 of the state of Illinois Vaccination Plan V5.0.
The vaccine is available to both insured and uninsured patients and is offered free of cost to all patients. For insured patients, the center will bill the insurance carrier.
The center plans to expand vaccination to all locations when supply becomes available. Vaccines may also become available for non-patients in the near future. Be sure to check the center's website and social media pages for updates.
Greater Elgin Family Care Center remains committed to the health and safety of its staff, patients and communities it serves. The provision of COVID-19 vaccination, testing and Virtual Visits are just some examples of the many oral health, behavioral health, and primary health care services the center provides.
Greater Elgin Family Care Center is the area's premier Federally Qualified Health Center. It provides a full range of quality, affordably priced, fully integrated primary care services to over 53,500 area residents by more than 175,000 medical, behavioral health and dental appointments annually.
Operating nine Community Health Centers in five northeastern Illinois counties, the organization is accredited by The Joint Commission, Primary Care Medical Home certified, repeatedly nationally recognized for both its health outcomes and cost efficiency, and provides care regardless of the patient's ability to pay.
Visit www.gefcc.org for more information.