“This is quieter. All of our vaccinators are familiar with this population. We offer accommodation for those in need,” said Dr. Wendy Ross, director of the Jefferson Health Center for Autism and Neurodiversity.
The waiting room had only two chairs and the staff had hand-held rotary buttons, headphones and sunglasses.
The clinic gave about 50 Johnson & Johnson vaccines in more than six hours.
Responsible providers say this slowdown is what their patients with IDD, those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, need.
“Not everyone tolerates large crowds and queues, and I think the population we serve in particular is really at high risk of contracting and dying from COVID,” said Ross.
Ross and his team did a study of more than 64 million cases of COVID-19 and found that patients with IDD were almost six times more likely to die from the virus, the second biggest risk factor near age.
“Many people we know who are in this category don’t really know how to protect themselves, or can’t tolerate it. I don’t like to tolerate it,” said Stanley Jaskiewicz, who brought his son to the office. “He didn’t fit into any of the categories. We didn’t know when or where.”
Batisha Andrews is a patient of Jefferson, as is her brother Shawn.
Both say they are grateful for this clinic and that it is just an injection.
“I feel great about finally being able to get vaccinated,” she said.
After Jefferson’s study, 11 states, including Pennsylvania, changed their vaccine release to include patients with IDD.
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