Jennifer Lucas, Executive Director of Human Resources, updates employees about the timeline for the COVID-19 vaccination.
Dear Colleagues,
I’m writing today to provide an update about the COVID-19 vaccination and when it might be available for our employees.
Over the past few weeks, the College has been actively engaged in efforts to understand the status of the rollout of the vaccine, to advocate for the appropriate consideration of employees at residential colleges like Gettysburg, and to offer whatever assistance the College might be able to provide to help with the distribution of the vaccine in Adams County and within our community.
These efforts have included outreach to senior officials in the Commonwealth and the Borough, and regular communication with the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) in connection with its efforts on behalf of higher education. President Iuliano has also spoken with the leadership of WellSpan Health Gettysburg Hospital to help clarify what we should expect in terms of timing for the vaccine distribution.
We’ve been able to confirm that vaccines are currently being administered by WellSpan Health Gettysburg Hospital for Phase 1A. This phase includes people over the age of 65 and people who have chronic conditions. A listing of chronic conditions can be found on the Pennsylvania Department of Health website. If you meet these criteria, you can register to receive your vaccine at the following website: www.wellspan.org/covid19/covid-19-vaccine.
It is unclear when the state will move into the next phase, Phase 1B. This phase includes “education workers” and people who “serve in congregate settings.” It is our current understanding that “education workers” will include faculty members who are teaching in person, and people who “serve in congregate settings” will apply to any employee who is required to be on campus.
WellSpan is encouraging community members to sign in to your MyWellSpan account and register your interest in the vaccine by completing the MyWellSpan “COVID-19 Vaccine Interest Questionnaire.” By registering you will be notified when scheduling is activated for your Phase.
As you can imagine, there is high interest from the community to receive the vaccine and the current supply is limited. Additionally, MyWellSpan is receiving an increased demand of visitors to its website right now, and it may take time to log in to your account.
Please know that the College remains in active conversations with the state and local entities. We will update the community when we learn about the transition to Phase 1B and the availability of the vaccine to new employee groups. In the meantime, please visit the PA Department of Health website for the most up to date information about vaccine distribution.
Thank you,
Jen Lucas
Jennifer Lucas, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Executive Director of Human Resources
Gettysburg College
Ph: 717-337-6211
Email: jlucas@gettysburg.edu
Pronouns: She, Her, Hers