LANSING, Mich. – Older adults in Michigan experiencing challenges finding COVID-19 vaccine information online now have a trusted source for assistance.
Through its partnership with the national education technology company GetSetUp, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Aging & Adult Services Agency is offering a series of sessions to walk older Michiganders through the Michigan COVID-19 vaccine website. The goal is to help them find their local health department to register online for a vaccine appointment or to be added to the waitlist.
“Older adults have faced various challenges in accessing COVID-19 vaccinations. We want to make it easier for individuals who have access to the internet to sign up online to receive a vaccine,” said Dr. Alexis Travis, senior deputy director of the Aging & Adult Services Agency. “Our partnership with GetSetUp is one way we are removing barriers and ensuring access to reliable and accurate information.”
On Thursday, Feb. 11, at 3 p.m., Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan’s chief medical executive and MDHHS chief deputy medical director, will join a session to provide a brief overview of the landscape in Michigan and to answer some frequently asked questions.
Registration is required. To register, visit www.getsetup.io/michigan or call 1-888-559-1614. Michiganders without internet access looking for vaccine information should contact the MDHHS COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-535-6136.
Learn more about the event: https://ejfhc.org/events/michigan-vaccine-info-session-with-dr-joneigh-s-khaldun-chief-medical-executive/
“We built GetSetUp to be a powerful community-based platform that could help older adults learn anything,” said Lawrence Kosick, co-founder of GetSetUp. “Right now, learning how to get a vaccine and scheduling an appointment is the top priority for older adults in Michigan, but many struggle with having sufficient technical expertise to find and navigate to the correct website(s) to sign up for the vaccine. Together with MDHHS, we’ve been able to expand our partnership and very quickly begin hosting live, online vaccine information sessions. Based on our experience in Michigan and the support of MDHHS, this is now a program we’ve expanded across the country to help older adults in Michigan and everywhere get the information they need to protect their health.”
In addition to the vaccine information sessions, older Michiganders can access more than 150 free online group classes designed for and led by older adults. Popular classes include how to use a smartphone or tablet, how to use services like video conferencing, email, social media, as well as virtual social hours. More than 45,000 older Michiganders are currently taking advantage of free classes through GetSetUp.
This project is funded in part by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Information around the COVID-19 outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.
