COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Residents of Coeur d’Alene now have another avenue for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Salvation Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene will partner with Heritage Health to deliver coronavirus vaccines. Vaccinations will start the first week of March. Residents 65 or older in Idaho are currently eligible for the vaccine.
The vaccines will be by appointment only. People can sign up to be on the Heritage Health waiting list for a vaccine online. Sign-ups are not available at the Kroc Center.
“Our community really works hard to do things together,” Heritage Health CEO Mike Baker said.
The organization works closely with the Panhandle Health District. The clinic at The Kroc Center is an effort to expand their reach.
Before this, they offered several clinics in North Idaho throughout the pandemic including drive-thru vaccinations in Kellogg. That clinic will still run in addition to the new one.
“This just allows us to have a consolidated site where we can see more people and get through more people every day,” Baker said.
As of Monday, Heritage Health has vaccinated 1,200 people. The vaccination clinic at The Kroc Center will be open Monday through Friday. Organizers expect the clinic to receive about 300 vaccine doses per week.
The vaccine clinic will help the Coeur d'Alene community, Kip Sharbono said. He works with The Salvation Army.
"I know it raises the spirits of everybody to see people coming in with smiles on their faces, under their masks, Sharbono said. "You can see it in their eyes."
There are several other ways the residents of North Idaho can get vaccines.
Those who are interested in scheduling a vaccination appointment can visit the Kootenai Health website and click the link to register.
PHD also provided a list of other enrolled vaccine providers in North Idaho and registration for those ages 65 and older will begin in February. The providers include:
Panhandle Health District for Kootenai, Benewah, and Shoshone counties: Call 877-415-5225 to schedule an appointment.
Northwest Specialty Hospital for Kootenai County: Register online.
Heritage Health for Kootenai and Shoshone Counties: Register online.
Bonner General Health for Bonner County: Register online.
Kanisku Health Services for Bonner and Boundary counties: Register online.
Medicine Man Pharmacy for Boundary County: Register online.
In addition, the state of Idaho launched a COVID-19 vaccination web page to help those eligible learn when and where they can get the vaccine. That website is now live.