Dec 20, 2020
The first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arrived at New Ulm Medical Center on Tuesday. Kathy Thompson, quality & risk manager; Reid Horning, pharmacy manager; and Charlie Sieberg, pharmacy coordinator, accepted the shipment and stored the vaccine in the sub-zero freezer at the New Ulm Allina Health facility. Courtesy New Ulm Medical Center
MANKATO â The first major rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the Mankato area is set to proceed Monday, with health workers at area hospitals receiving vaccinations as soon as that day.
Health workers at risk of getting COVID at work and residents of long-term care facilities will be prioritized for the first wave of vaccinations. Organizations have been training staff and scheduling times in anticipation of distribution day on Monday.
La Crosse area medical professionals urge patience, trust ahead of COVID-19 arrival
Staffing, software delays slowed delivery of vaccine to La Crosse area
December 18, 2020 5:57 PM Greg White
Updated:
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) – La Crosse’s Health Systems are still waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine to arrive.
Local health leaders says a delay in processing applications at the state level slowed down delivery, but the Department of Health Services has hired more staff and identified the software problem.
A doctor with Gundersen Health System says that will help.
“They are optimistic that these new solutions to the problems that they were encountering with processing the applications with really help them address these delays,” said Dr. Raj Naik of Gundersen Health System.
As liquor sales increase, health experts warn of excessive drinking
December 18, 2020 11:47 PM Molly Ringberg
Festival Foods says the pandemic is bringing more people in.
Plus, with the holiday season, people are buying larger quantities of their favorite adult drinks.
Some popular items flying off the shelves are boxes and cases of wines, craft beers, and seltzers.
But since the pandemic started, some health experts say they have seen an increase in people drinking more heavily.
And although this is a joyful time of year for many, it can be dreadful for others.
Having a drink, or two, or three, is how some people are trying to get through these difficult times.
EAU CLAIRE â The Eau Claire Police Department this year has expanded its crisis intervention program to better work with people with mental illness.
As of Friday, the Police Department has responded to 1,347 mental health calls in 2020, which is about 5% of the departmentâs total calls for service.
And countless other police service calls contain some type of mental health component, said Sgt. Bridget Coit, who oversees the crisis intervention program for the Police Department.
âThis year we expanded crisis intervention training within our department,â she said. âWe strive for quality training so we can keep current on mental health issues.â