Will County Board to vote on funding for COVID-19 vaccine call center

The Will County Board will hold a special meeting on Monday to vote on a contract for a call center to help with the COVID-19 vaccination distribution process.

The call center is meant to help set up appointments and field questions from residents seeking information about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. The request is for about $2 million to hire 27 callers and another five support staffers for the center, according to Mitch Schaben, the chief of staff for Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.

Bertino-Tarrant, D-Shorewood asked the County Board earlier this month for extra money to help the Will County Health Department ramp up its vaccine distribution efforts.

“It’s an urgent need,” she said. “It’s urgent enough that we’re calling a special meeting.”

The contract would be with a Chicago firm, Harris & Harris, that has previously done work with the county to help with collections of overdue fines, according to Nick Palmer, the chief of staff to the Will County Board.

A Facebook post from the Will County Board Democrats explained the extraordinary situation which necessitated the special meeting.

“While typically the Board of Health directs the actions and spending of the Health Department, the County Board, on a bipartisan basis, and the County Executive have stepped in because we are in an emergency situation,” the post read.

Sue Olenek, the executive director of the Will County Health Department, told board members this month that their existing phone system has been overwhelmed by the number of residents calling for information on when they can get vaccinated. She said the health department has been receiving so many calls that they’ve caused the phone system to crash.

Palmer said Harris & Harris runs a “pretty high tech” operation and, over the last decade or so, the firm has helped collect millions of dollars in fines due to the county.

He added there will likely be more expenses the County Board will need to approve later this month. Palmer said the health department has submitted a list of expenses to help with distribution, including more staffing for administering vaccines and to enhance communications to the public.

“We will do whatever we can to help the health department when they make requests and have a plan, but we still want to be responsible,” he said.

Bertino-Tarrant has asked the board to set aside about $5 million for the health department from the funds the county received via the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Palmer said the board could consider approving more specific requests for the health department later this month.

The board will meet virtually on Monday at 3 p.m.

As of Friday, over 13,400 people in Will County have been fully vaccinated, or just under 2% of the population.