Bellin Thanks Community and Urges Patience

Strong demand for 65-Plus COVID vaccination appointments causing web and phone delays.

With Tuesday’s announcement that individuals age 65 and older can now schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments, it quickly became clear at Bellin Health that demand would be very strong. As a result, there have been longer than usual wait times for scheduling, both online and by phone.

“We are really encouraged by the strong demand we’re seeing for vaccination appointments among those ages 65 and older,” said Kathy Kerscher, Bellin Health Vice President of Primary Care. “We want to provide as many vaccines to eligible groups as possible. We have ramped up our online capabilities via MyBellin.org and added customer service representatives to our phone scheduling lines in anticipation of strong demand — but it’s been even greater than expected, resulting in longer wait times. We ask everyone trying to schedule an appointment to please be patient.”

Kerscher said this initial surge should even out over the next 24 to 48 hours, allowing for more people to get through.

“I’d not only like to thank the public for their patience, but would like to thank our customer service representatives and our I.T. personnel for putting in extra time and effort to accommodate this surge,” Kerscher said.

Those now eligible to receive the vaccine, in accordance with State of Wisconsin COVID-19 vaccination guidelines, include individuals age 65 and older, healthcare workers, first responders and police and fire personnel.

Vaccinations for these groups only can be scheduled via an individual’s MyBellin account or by calling the Bellin Health COVID-19 hotline at (920) 445-7313. Individuals do not need to be Bellin patients to schedule vaccinations.

Vaccinations will be administered at the following locations:
• Bellin Health Ashwaubenon clinic campus, 1630 Commanche Ave. (turf gym area just inside the Northwest entrance).
• Oconto: Bellin Health Bond Community Center, 1201 Park Ave. (scheduling begins Monday)
• Marinette: Details will be shared once available

Bellin Health will continue to keep patients and the community updated via the following channels:
• MyBellin.org. Patients and community members who do not have a MyBellin account are encouraged to register for a free account by going to MyBellin.org, clicking the New User button and following the prompts. Once registered, individuals age 65-plus may click the Coronavirus (COVID-19) banner on the homepage and follow the prompts to schedule their vaccination.
• Provider/clinic communications
• Bellin Health social media channels
• News media updates