GOUVERNEUR, N.Y. — Kinney Drugs is teaming with the Association on Aging in New York for a 10-week, 21-county pilot program providing community-based COVID-19 vaccination clinics for seniors 65 and older. Local state offices for the aging are providing telephone-based assistance for seniors to make appointments for the clinics.

To date,  vaccination appointments have been available almost exclusively through online scheduling systems. As a result, seniors who have challenges accessing and/or using technology have been unable to secure appointments. The pilot tests a simple and practical solution aimed at filling this gap for some of the most vulnerable people. The clinics opened the second week of March. Interested seniors should contact their local County Office for the Aging for appointments for clinics being held in counties including Cayuga, Clinton, Cort-
land, Essex and Franklin.

“Securing a vaccination appointment is often too burdensome, especially for seniors who aren’t technologically savvy. Many do not have a caretaker to help them navigate this process, so it’s important that we assist these seniors in securing a vaccine,” said John Marraffa, vice president of healthcare services integration for Kinney parent KPH Healthcare Services. “This is one more way we can help those who need it most.”