Will County Board OKs funding for COVID-19 vaccine call center

The Will County Board voted to approve funding for a new call center to help residents with questions related to COVID-19 and getting vaccinated.

During a special meeting Monday, the board authorized the Will County Executive’s Office to execute a contract with Harris & Harris, a Chicago firm, for a call center to “manage COVID-19 and related calls,” according to the board agenda.

“This call center would manage the really insane numbers of calls the health department is getting,” Will County Board Speaker Mimi Cowan, D-Naperville, said Monday.

Cowan said the health department is receiving between about 1,000 and 1,500 call per day.

The contract will last for six months and cost $1.6 million, paid for with funds the county received via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act last year.

Sue Olenek, the executive director of the Will County Health Department, told members this month her department has been overwhelmed with calls from anxious residents wanting to know when they can get vaccinated.

The contract calls for the hiring of 32 full-time employees, which includes 27 callers and five support staffers. The call center will operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., though members asked if those hours could eventually be expanded.

Mitch Schaben, Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant’s chief of staff, said Harris & Harris expects to have the call center “up and operational” within the next 10 days. He added there could be adjustments to the hours calls are fielded.

Also, about a quarter of the callers will able to answer questions in Spanish and the center will use a translation system to assist residents who speak other languages.

Olenek said the callers will handle incoming questions from residents about how to register with the health department to get a vaccine. She added residents will soon be able to set up an appointment for their vaccination via an online system. Callers will be able to answer questions about that process.

Still, she urged patience and said it will take months to vaccinate all willing and eligible residents. About 150,000 people have signed up to receive a vaccine, but supplies from the state and federal governments have not been able to keep up with demand.

“We don’t have enough vaccine to schedule months out in advance,” Olenek said.

As of Monday, about 2% of Will County’s population has been fully vaccinated, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

For more information, visit willcountyhealth.org.