New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has released a plan for vaccine access for individuals who are homebound or do not have transportation to vaccination sites.
According to the NH COVID-19 Vaccination Allocation Guidelines, reasons for being homebound include:
- a) The person’s doctor believes that their health or illness could get worse if they leave the home.
- b) The person requires the help of another person and/or medical equipment to leave the home or find it difficult to leave the home and typically cannot do so.
- Additionally, physical barriers to travel to the state vaccination sites and other vaccine points of distribution, such as access to transportation that limits one’s ability to access the vaccine may qualify.
Note: People who are considered homebound may still leave the home for medical appointments or treatment, for short periods, or for special non-medical events.
Homebound individuals are eligible to receive the vaccine in Phase 1b. Phase 1b individuals are being vaccinated NOW. DHHS is currently working with home health and social service providers to identify individuals who qualify as homebound in order to schedule vaccination appointments. Individuals in this population can also call 211 to begin the process of scheduling an appointment. The process of scheduling the appointment may take several days and involve multiple telephone calls with your regional public health network.
If you or someone you know qualifies in Phase 1b and is unable to schedule an appointment, please call us for assistance.
Additional Resources
- Read the full Vaccination Strategy for Homebound Populations at: https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/covid19/documents/covid19-vaccination-homebound.pdf
- Visit https://www.nh.gov/covid19/index.htm for the most up to date information from the State of NH
- For information on COVID-19 and People with Disabilities visit drcnh.org/covid-19
