One of the biggest challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic is getting vaccinations to people who are homebound.
A Bowling Green-based pharmacy is one of the health care providers that’s taken some of those life-saving “shots of hope” to the elderly and disabled who can’t get to vaccination clinics.
As soon as Sheldon’s Express Pharmacy got the COVID-19 vaccine, the decision was made to offer vaccinations to homebound patients who were already getting medications delivered.
Pharmacist Jack Downing said the owner of the pharmacy decided it was important to reach patients who are unable to get to a vaccination site
“This is just mainly a service to the community and to our patients,” Downing said. “That was the first thing that Steve Sheldon said, was we need to take care of the ones that we need to take care of, that are truly homebound, and offer it to them if they want it, and we’ll go to the house and do it.”
Downing administered vaccinations to many homebound patients in Warren County.
“I mean, we had people that had strokes and didn’t have transportation and lived alone and didn’t have anybody to take them anywhere and were on oxygen,” said Downing. “It was a very humbling experience because they were very, very appreciative to get it and especially since we brought it into their home. One lady told me, ‘You’re the first person that’s been in my house since March of last year’.”
So far, Sheldon’s has administered vaccinations to about 40 homebound individuals in Warren County, including some who are not regular customers and were referred by their doctors.
Sheldon’s Express Pharmacy had been giving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to homebound patients in Warren County before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a haltin the use of that company’s vaccine.
The state of Kentucky and Sheldon's Pharmacy are following that federal guideline.
Downing said he is not aware of any of Sheldon’s patients experiencing any major adverse side effects from the J&J vaccine.
However, with the J&J vaccine on hold, Sheldon’s vaccinations for the homebound are also on hold.
The pharmacy is keeping a waiting list at its Fairview Avenue location in Bowling Green for whenever the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available.
Sheldon's Express Pharmacy has nine locations in Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois.
