For the Tomahawk Leader

TOMAHAWK – Ascension Wisconsin announced on Tuesday, Feb. 23 that it had begun administering the COVID-19 vaccine to patients ages 65 and older in Tomahawk, in accordance with Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) guidelines.

Shirley Maney, 80, of Tomahawk, was among the first patients to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the initial community vaccination clinic conducted by Ascension Medical Group Wisconsin (AMG-WI) on the campus of Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, 401 W. Mohawk Drive, Tomahawk, on Saturday, Feb. 20.

Shirley Maney, 80, of Tomahawk, received one of the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Licensed Practical Nurse Shannon Bushong during a vaccination clinic held by Ascension Medical Group Wisconsin on the campus of Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Tomahawk on Saturday, Feb. 20. Photo courtesy of Ascension.

“AMG-WI has been reviewing medical records for all existing patients and identifying those who fit the eligible criteria,” Ascension stated in a release. “AMG-WI has been and will continue to proactively and personally contact eligible patients over the coming weeks by text, email and phone. Please do not call Ascension Wisconsin hospitals or clinics regarding vaccinations. AMG-WI will contact eligible patients.”

Appointments to receive the vaccine must be made in advance. No walk-in vaccinations are currently available, but may be in the future as additional vaccine doses become available, Ascension said.

“Our goal is to safely vaccinate as many individuals as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Gregory Brusko, Chief Clinical Officer, Ascension Wisconsin. “Our doctors, nurses, clinicians and associates have worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We are excited to begin this critical next phase of vaccinations. We continue to collaborate closely with local and state health officials to ensure we’re doing everything we can to get as many people vaccinated as safely and efficiently as possible. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated when it is made available to them.”

Ascension said it is continuing to vaccinate frontline healthcare workers, first responders, police and fire personnel, community health centers and dental office staff, and Ascension affiliated and non-affiliated Group 1a individuals, noting that it had administered roughly 47,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses across the state as of mid-February.

“Our overarching goals for vaccine distribution remain to strengthen and protect the healthcare workforce, support those persons with highest risk of exposure and assist those individuals with vulnerable conditions,” said Susan Moore, MD, Medical Director of Primary Care Services for the North Region of AMG-WI. “We are phasing the rollout to include additional Group 1b individuals based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and DHS guidance and based on availability of COVID-19 vaccine. We will continue to provide updates as additional vaccination opportunities through our health system become available.”

For additional information on the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit www.healthcare.ascension.org/COVID-19/vaccinations.