COVID-19 vaccinations to be given at YMCA on Feb. 4-5

SIKESTON — Those wanting to get COVID-19 vaccinations will have an opportunity at the YMCA of Southeast Missouri on Feb. 4-5.

Heart to Heart International, a Kansas-City based non-profit organization, will provide vaccines for everyone ages 5 and up and boosters for eligible individuals over the age of 12 as well as evidence-based vaccine information.

All three approved vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson) will be available and the HHI staff of community health workers and nurses will support individuals in making educated decisions about which vaccine is best for them.

HHI will return to Sikeston in March to administer second doses of the vaccine.

As a nonprofit based in Lenexa, Kansas, HHI seeks to improve healthcare access in the U.S. and around the world by ensuring quality care is provided equitably in medically under-resourced communities and in disaster situations.

“One of the objectives of our COVID-19 pandemic response efforts has been to support and broaden the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and to address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation,” said Kim

Carroll, CEO of Heart to Heart International. “By deploying teams of trained medical professionals to meet the needs of individuals and families in their own communities, we are able to continue progressing toward this important goal.”

With COVID-19 cases rising to all-time highs, it is important to enable families to get protected without burdening their busy schedules. As a center for community involvement, and because sports activities attract a lot of families to the area, the YMCA of Southeast Missouri is an ideal location for HHI’s vaccination clinics.

The clinics will be in the YMCA of Southeast Missouri community room on Friday, February 4, from 9 a.m. until noon and 4-7 p.m., and on Saturday, February 5, from 11 a.m until 3 p.m. The events are free and open to the public. Individuals can pre-register for the event at hearttoheart.org/covid19vaccination.

Pre-registration is not required but will speed up the process.

In 2021, HHI administered more than 8,900 vaccine doses at 159 vaccination events in Kansas and Missouri. In the first three weeks of 2022, HHI has already administered more than 1,200 doses.