Alert sent to promote vaccination site
Phone texts tell of speedway; some criticism follows
NIKI KELLY | The Journal Gazette
INDIANAPOLIS – Thestate of Indiana sent an emergency alert to cellphones in central Indiana on Tuesday – but it wasn t about a kidnapped child or an endangered adult.
The alert told Hoosiers about the free vaccination clinic at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday in which appointments wouldn t be needed and offered a choice between Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer shots.
And Twitter had a lot to say on both sides of the topic.
The Indiana State Department of Health said the decision to issue the alerts was made by the health department in consultation with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and FEMA. The alert met the standards outlined by FEMA s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
Emergency Cell Phone Alerts Justified, Says State Department of Health
INDIANAPOLIS Normally, you get an emergency alert to you cell phone for severe weather or a missing person.
Tuesday, Marion and surrounding counties might have gotten an emergency alert about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway mass vaccination clinic.
The emergency alert was sent out by the Indiana Department of Health.
Who approved this on our nationwide EAS. @NWSIndianapolis ?? pic.twitter.com/jRk35ybaRa
WIBC reached out for an interview, but ISDH sent a statement saying the alert was sent to help increase appointments in (sic) the Indianapolis Motor Speedway mass vaccination clinic, which has available appointments each day this week.
Why State health officials sent that alert encouraging walk-in vaccine appointments Shari Rudavsky, Indianapolis Star
Replay Video
The Indiana Department of Health really wants you to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
So much so that mid-morning Tuesday the state sent out an invitation to everyone in the form of a public safety alert, announcing that free vaccines are available to anyone who wants one from now through Thursday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Speedway clinic has both the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine available as well as the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, the only one approved for those 16 and older. One must be 18 or older to receive the Johnson & Johnson or Moderna vaccines.
Indiana Uses Emergency Alert System For Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Sites
Article origination IPBS-RJC
The Indiana Department of Health said it saw an increase in COVID-19 vaccination walk-ins at the mass clinic in Gary after using a public alert.
Screenshot of public alert
Indiana is using its emergency alert system to urge people to visit its mass COVID-19 vaccination sites.
Hoosiers in central Indiana got the alert on their phones Tuesday that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway vaccine clinic is open to walk-ins through Thursday. And it’s offering both Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
The Indiana Department of Health said it used a similar alert last week for its mass vaccination site in Gary and generated an increase in walk-ins.
The IDHS said the alerts were sent to phones in Indianapolis and the surrounding counties.
The IDHS said today’s alert was the third alert issued to promote vaccination clinics and they have been very successful.
IDHS said to issue an alert, certain FEMA thresholds must be met.
The Indiana State Department of Health tells 13News the alert is just one tool it is using to raise awareness about getting vaccinated. The public awareness campaign launched in January includes radio ads, billboards, bus wraps, commercials and social media advertising.
ISDH s statement on the alert reads in part:
The decision to issue the alerts was made by the Indiana Department of Health in consultation with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and FEMA. The alert met the standards outlined by FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert & Warning System.