E-NOTICE - UPDATE: RIDGEWOOD HEALTH DEPARTMENT COVID19 VACCINE CLINIC

Update: Ridgewood Health Department Covid19 Vaccine Clinic

February 7, 2021

On December 10, 2020 the Village of Ridgewood Health Department was certified by the State of NJ to operate a Covid19 Vaccine Clinic. The authorization was a result of months of planning, filing of required paperwork, and ensuring appropriate staffing. Ridgewood was able to achieve approval because the Village maintains a local health department.

Although the availability of vaccines has been largely unpredictable, the Ridgewood Health Department was able to conduct one Covid19 Vaccine Clinic in December, followed by several in January.  Placing direct vaccine orders with the State of NJ, the clinic vaccinated ONLY those individuals meeting the requirements set forth by the NJ Governor/State government.  On January 19, as the Ridgewood Health Department was planning to advertise to eligible members of the public, the State of NJ abruptly changed course and determined vaccines would be allocated exclusively to counties rather than using a direct local order approach. Unfortunately, this decision has resulted in significant uncertainly as to the number of vaccines, if any, Ridgewood would receive. Local clinics have been notified by Bergen County of their decision to retain all allocated doses from the State and that they (Bergen County) will not provide any vaccines to local clinics. Additionally, Bergen County stated this will be the practice for the foreseeable future.

The Village believes delivering vaccines to both the county and local clinics is the best, most efficient, way to vaccinate. This is especially true for the elderly, special needs, and those with pre-existing medical conditions who may find it challenging to travel to vaccine mega-sites. Many residents continue to reach out requesting information about scheduling a vaccine appointment locally, at the Ridgewood Covid19 Vaccine Clinic.  We cannot guarantee the delivery of vaccines and, therefore, we are urging our residents to seek appointments elsewhere, until a more predictable system of vaccine delivery to the Ridgewood clinic is established.

Bergen County vaccine appointment registration visit: https://www.newbridgehealth.org/covid-19-vaccine-information/

State of New Jersey vaccine appointment registration visit: https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/vaccine  CLICK on “pre-register for the vaccine” and complete the steps.  This will allow you to view clinics in your area once you are eligible.

Support at the State Health Department please call 855-568-0545 

The Village of Ridgewood will continue to make every effort to secure vaccines to ensure the at-risk members of our local community are appropriately served.  Please contact both State and County officials and urge their support in providing a consistent allocation of vaccines to the State-approved Ridgewood Covid19 Vaccine Clinic and other local clinics.   We are grateful for the continued support of our Village community.