PASCACK VALLEY AREA, N.J.—The mayors of Woodcliff Lake, Park Ridge, and Montvale have banded together to provide alternatives for residents hoping to secure a Covid-19 vaccine apart from the state’s sprawling and under-supplied network of vaccination sites.
But one hiccup remains: they must locate a supply of vaccines.
That remains the key holdup to opening any Pascack Valley regional vaccination site, said the mayors, noting they’ve reached out to county and state health officials and area hospitals to partner with them to offer the vaccines.
So far, the lack of vaccines to distribute remains the biggest stumbling block to opening a convenient local vaccination hub.
Most mayors who spoke with Pascack Press expressed hope that supply would ease up within weeks or a month but the mayors hold out hopes for a Pascack Valley-based vaccination center soon.
Even area hospitals, such as Holy Name Medical Center, Hackensack Meridian Health, and Englewood Health, and newly established state mega-vaccination sites, have experienced vaccine shortfalls, the mayors said.
While Woodcliff Lake Mayor Carlos Rendo criticized the vaccine rollout overseen by Gov. Phil Murphy and state health commissioner Judy Persichilli, Park Ridge Mayor Keith Misciagna agreed that the most vulnerable residents are being hurt by a lack of vaccines and that needs to be fixed.
In Westwood, councilmembers Chris Montana (Senior Advisory Board liaison) and Cheryl Hodges (Board of Health and Hospital liaison) are working, respectively, with the Westwood Senior Advisory Board, and resident volunteers Dee Ross Kalman and Lisa McKoy, toward assisting seniors in pre-registering for Covid 19-inoculations, and with HUMC at Pascack Valley to keep the borough apprised of the federal government’s ongoing vaccine allocation, and upcoming local distribution events.
Additionally, the director of Westwood House is exploring the possibility of offering in-house inoculations to Westwood House residents in early February and, if supplies allow, hopes to expand the program to Westwood seniors later in the month. This is not yet confirmed, Mayor Ray Arroyo told Pascack Press on Jan. 26.
New Jersey has set up a half-dozen mega-vaccination sites including one at Bergen County’s Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, which began accepting vaccine appointments for eligible individuals Jan. 22.
Staffed by Hackensack Meridian Health, the site offers vaccines for health care workers, first responders, people 65 or older, and individuals 16–64 with underlying health issues.
More detailed information on eligibility is available on the website as well as links for making appointments at the regional mega-vaccination site: hackensackmeridianhealth.org/covid19/meadowlands.
Group effort
Meanwhile, mayors Rendo, Ghassali, and Misciagna are providing regular updates on their Facebook pages and borough websites, hoping to hook up residents with needed vaccine, especially for those matching eligibility criteria.
Misciagna said vaccine-eligible residents are calling Borough Hall and emailing him to find out where to go to get a vaccine shot, which have been in short supply for weeks, with supplies limited even to area hospitals that have run out.
Misciagna said he anticipates as supply issues are resolved over the next weeks, more vaccines will become available and that may allow a more accessible local site to open.
He compared the heavy demand for vaccines to “the last half-hour of a very long car ride” where everyone just wants it to be over.
He said the shortage of vaccine doses is limiting vaccination sites but most mayors and towns are posting vaccination registration information and sites online.
He said the shortages of vaccines, delays, and difficulty in securing a vaccine, even for those in eligible groups, “has been frustrating for so many of our residents…especially those not computer- or internet-savvy.”
Residents can visit BergenCOVIDvaccine.com for details. Anyone can register at that site to get on the list to be contacted when your category is eligible. Additionally, vaccine clinics have opened for distribution.
Misciagna posted, “The distribution protocols have been frustrating to say the least and the information seems to change quickly. That being said, my best advice is to visit the distribution site websites often to check availability.”
Many vaccination sites are only accepting online reservations, although information about registration and wait times can be obtained via phone.
Bergen County sites listed include Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, Paramus, (800) 730-2762; Hackensack Meridian Health (multiple locations), (833) 565-0404; Holy Name Medical Center, Paramus Board of Health, (201) 265-2100; and ShopRite Pharmacy, Englewood, (856) 627-8137.
Ghassali informed residents Jan. 24 that he was working with Misciagna and Rendo to try to bring a regional vaccination site nearer to residents.
Meanwhile, he urged residents to monitor the borough website for updates and get a free Covid-19 test through Bergen County.
“We have local doctors and locations ready and able to host a vaccination center, and working with [neighboring towns] to use a local location. It comes down to vaccine supply,” he said.
He added, “As you have been hearing about the vaccine supply shortage, that’s where the issue is and not our locations or personnel.”
Rendo said the mayors are working to assist residents in securing a vaccine and that he has reached out to Valley and Holy Name hospitals to see if they would partner on administering the vaccine at Tice Senior Center.
“The biggest issue has been supply and demand. One of our potential partners is contacting the governor’s office to ascertain the availability of the vaccine and the process of administering it,” Rendo said.
He promised to keep residents informed and urged them to continue registering for the vaccine on the state website.
Rendo, whose borough hosts four nursing or assisted living facilities, said he was not aware of any nursing home residents receiving their vaccines, though nursing homes are in the first tier of vaccine recipients on the state’s priority list.
“These nursing homes are the first that should be vaccinated,” Rendo said. He questioned the state not prioritizing vaccines for nursing home patients after early Covid-19 outbreaks in many private and veterans’ nursing homes, leading to a disproportionate number of nursing home patient deaths.
“It’s a free-for-all in New Jersey now and our residents are frustrated,” said Rendo. He called the state’s vaccine distribution management “a debacle” with people feeling helpless and frustrated trying to get a vaccine they desperately need.
He said he reached out to the state to secure vaccines “and hit a brick wall. Now it’s a mad scramble to get vaccinated and the state is not being transparent with people about what’s going on.”
He said the state did not prioritize “its most vulnerable residents” while noting a resident with cancer recently traveled to Neptune to secure a vaccine.
He said should vaccines be available, he could quickly mobilize a site and staffing, with volunteers who already agreed to help, and get vaccines to high-priority Pascack Valley residents effectively and conveniently.
For more information, follow the New Jersey Department of Health:
- Twitter: @njdeptofhealth
- Facebook: /njdeptofhealth
- Instagram: @njdeptofhealth
- Website: nj.gov/health