COVID-19 Vaccination Center for Erath County

In an effort to increase the availability and increase in supply of COVID-19 vaccine in Erath County, officials with Erath County and the City of Stephenville are opening a vaccination center. Texas Department of State Health Services has committed to Erath County, the City of Stephenville, and Dr. Kelly Doggett to send approximately 300 doses of Moderna Vaccine to Erath County this week. Please do not contact Dr. Doggett’s office about receiving these vaccines.

The vaccination center will be located in the Bosque River Center at 2900 W. Washington Suite 92 in Stephenville, TX. It will be located in the building that formerly housed J.C. Penney and most recently the FFO Furniture business. This will be the only location that these vaccines will be administered. There will be no walk ins allowed. Call (254) 459-5053.

It is anticipated at this time that the vaccination center will open on Thursday or Friday January 28th or 29th. At this time it is anticipated that the recipients of the vaccine will be those listed in groups 1A and 1B as published by Texas DSHS. Approximately two weeks ago Erath County established a partnership with Tarrant County for Erath County residents to register to receive the vaccine in Tarrant County. There are approximately 1,300 Erath County residents currently registered with Tarrant County and they will begin to be contacted first about creating an appointment to receive the vaccine locally.

Register HERE to be on the new local call list to get the vaccine.

This will be an ongoing effort extending long past these doses. Erath County and the City of Stephenville have made arrangements to be able to receive both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and anticipate an increasing supply in the future. Scheduling software is also being obtained to allow for local residents to be able to schedule vaccination appointments as they become available. As more arrangements are made, vaccine supply increases in availability, more information about how and when to receive the vaccine through the Erath County vaccination center will be released.

If you are a senior who is having trouble signing up, please call Erath County Meals on Wheels at (254) 965-3510 and they will help you register.
 

UPDATED INFO FROM ERATH COUNTY JUDGE:

Erath County Citizens,

The COVID-19 Vaccine rollout in Erath County completed its second week of operation on February 4, 2021. The Erath County Vaccination Center (ECVC) has now given 762 vaccinations in the two-week period since the opening of the ECVC.
Erath County’s own registration portal has just opened. • Erath County COVID-19 Vaccination Sign Up Here... This allows direct registrations to Erath County’s database.
** If a person is already registered with Tarrant County, the data automatically transfers to Erath County, so there is no need to register again. We are grateful to Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and his staff for their cooperation (in the interim) on this venture.

If a person needs help registering, they can call the Erath County COVID-19 hotline at 254-459-5053. We have added four staff to help the Community register by phone on the hotline number. Call capacity is monitored so we can increase call center efforts if necessary, including the addition of call center personnel.

The ECVC is located at the Bosque River Shopping Center in Stephenville at the building commonly known as the old JC Penney Building. Most recently, the building housed FFO Furniture at 2900 W. Washington Street. A big sign reading “Erath County Vaccination Center” is at the front entrance to the building. Access and egress includes marked handicapped parking spaces immediately in front of the Center. Watchful staff in golf carts stand by and are ready to assist anyone from the spacious parking lot to the building entrance. Upon entering, the applicant’s temperature is taken, and then proceeds to a check-in desk, then on to another station to review their information. At that point, the individual is ready to be vaccinated in an individual privacy unit. The time of vaccination is noted, and a 15-minute observational period begins. The person is then guided to a separate room to complete their observation (waiting) period. The observational area is a large handicap-accessible sitting area with adequate spacing to maintain distancing. A medic is vigilant in the room to assist and help monitor the vaccinated individuals. Once the observational period is complete, the person is guided to a designed exit staffed by security personnel to conclude at the very place where they began the process. A golf cart is ready for assistance to the person’s vehicle. Everyone is guided through the complete process.

The Center is operated by staff from the City, County and Tarleton State University, along with Community Volunteers. An operational day may include as many as 40 staff. The Center hit the ground running on its first day on January 28. That first week included two days of operation to distribute an allocation of 300 doses. The week just completed (400 doses allocated for the week) brought the total of doses administered to 762 (a batch of doses generates a few more than the marked capacity). The Center’s efficient early operation indicates to Local Officials that it could easily double or triple its capacity to administer the vaccine at the facility and maintain its commitment to excellent customer service to the Community. The Center’s capacity to easily increase the number of doses administered, along with the extremely high demand has led local officials to advocate for an increase in allocation and to be designated as a “Rural Vaccination Hub”, possibly leading to an increased and more consistent allocation.

While there has been a slight decline in local cases in the past few weeks, there will be additional challenges – we must be vigilant and continue to take the measures we have taken to get us to this point – wear a mask when around others, avoid large gatherings (especially indoor gatherings) and continue washing hands frequently.

Please keep working with us as we work to get all our Erath County residents who want a vaccine to get signed up as soon as possible. We really are “all in this together”, please be patient, there is nothing we would like better that to be able to provide a vaccine to everyone who wants one.

Alfonso Campos, Erath County Judge


Visit HERE for more local COVID Resources including Testing Locations.