Wichita vaccine sites ramp up COVID shots for military families, veterans

Two Wichita clinics plan to ramp up COVID-19 vaccines for military families and veterans.

McConnell Air Force Base and the Robert J. Dole Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center are offering two separate clinics this month with looser eligibility requirements than what is available to the general population, which has been restricted to people over 65 and those working high-contact jobs that have been deemed essential to keep the economy afloat.

▪ McConnell’s vaccination clinic is open to military medical beneficiaries age 65 and older and all adult military beneficiaries age 18 to 64 who are at increased risk for severe illness. Conditions including type 2 diabetes, smoking, obesity, COPD, cancer, kidney disease and Down syndrome.

Medical beneficiaries must have TRICARE insurance or have access to McConnell as a base employee to qualify for the vaccine, according to a news release from McConnell Air Force Base. Appointments are required and the vaccine clinic will be at the Robert J. Dole Community Center Ballroom on the base.

Appointments open Friday, and vaccinations will be given March 18, March 26, April 1, April 8, May 6, May 13, May 20 and May 27.

To schedule an appointment, beneficiaries can go to booking.appointy.com/mcconnellafb or the Appointy app.

▪ Robert J. Dole VA is partnering with Newman University to vaccinate 1,500 military veterans on Saturday, March 20. All ages are eligible for the vaccine, which will be administered from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Newman’s Dugan Gorges conference center, 3100 McCormick. Veterans must be enrolled in health care with the Dole VA to be eligible for the vaccine.

Appointments at the VA have been previously reserved for veterans age 55 or older. More than 6,000 veterans have received a shot, according to a news release from the VA medical center.

To schedule an appointment, call 316-469-0914, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 2:13 PM.