Florida couple starts Facebook group to help book COVID vaccine appointments for seniors
When Katherine Quirk saw how quickly COVID-19 vaccine appointments ran out at Broward Health, she knew the road to getting seniors vaccinated in South Florida wouldn’t be easy.
Not every senior has the resources to book appointments online. And with high demand, it’s likely they won’t get an appointment the first time they call a hotline.
After continuing to see reports of the frustrations seniors were having, the 44-year-old Broward Health nurse and her 42-year-old fiancé, Russ Schwartz, felt like they needed to help. So on New Year’s Day, they started a Facebook group to share information about appointment availability in South Florida.
Facebook is the most popular social media site for Americans 65 and older, and while seniors are the platform’s smallest demographic, they are also its fastest-growing one, according to Hootsuite, a social media analytics company.
Quirk knew the information likely wouldn’t be seen by everyone who needed it most. But she figured someone — a son, a daughter, a grandchild — would see it.
Miami-Dade County and Jackson Health System, the county’s public hospital network, have also been using social media to announce vaccine availability. Instead of Facebook, they’re using Twitter.
The couple’s Facebook group, South Florida COVID-19 Vaccination Info, has taken off and has more than 17,000 members.
At first, it was just Quirk and Schwartz managing the page. Now the Parkland couple has recruited more than 100 volunteers to help them share information and book appointments for people 65 and older, with translators available to help in English, Spanish, Creole and Portuguese. The South Florida group has also begun to include other counties in the state.
Turns out, many are willing to drive their loved ones to Orlando, or farther, to get them the vaccine.
Booking COVID vaccine appointments like a full-time job
Managing the group is like a second full-time job for the working parents. When Quirk returns home from the hospital and Schwartz from Nova Blanche Forman Elementary School in Davie, where he is principal, the two go straight to the computer.
Also part of the balancing act: spending time with their three kids, ages 13, 14 and 16, and planning their wedding, which they’ve had to postpone four times because of the pandemic. Originally planned for Aulani, a Disney resort in Hawaii, the pair are now hoping to have it at Walt Disney World in Florida.
The work can get overwhelming at times, but the couple says it’s worth it.
“When you hear these people call with tears, crying about the sense of relief they feel or crying because they feel like there is a light at the end of the dark tunnel, you can’t help feel like, ‘Wow, we’re really doing something good here,’ ” Quirk said.
Volunteers have helped at least 1,000 people get an appointment, according to the couple. On Thursday, one volunteer alone had booked 100 appointments.
Schwartz believes thousands more have been helped with the announcements, tips and guides the page posts for vaccine availability at hospitals, Publix and at state and county-run vaccination sites. Volunteers have also begun contacting places like synagogues and churches to offer help in booking appointments.
The Facebook group is full of praise and thanks, both from those who were vaccinated and those who are still looking:
“Thank you all so much for your kindness and support. I was really getting frustrated but with the help of one of your angels I got my vaccine yesterday, everything went very smoothly. And it was a great experience. Thank you.”
“Although we haven’t been successful in getting our vaccines, info you shared has been SO VERY HELPFUL!! Thank you for what you are doing, for helping all of us....you are a blessing!”
“You guys are incredible!! Can’t thank you enough for all that you are doing!! You have been an amazing resource in a time where things seem impossible. So thank you for making the impossible seem possible!!”
The Facebook group has a Google form where people can request help in getting the COVID-19 vaccine for themselves or a loved one. While volunteers will need to have basic information like name, age, phone and email, none should ask for Social Security, insurance information or payment, Quirk said. If they do, don’t give it to them and report it. Despite the support, the couple still encourages people to attempt to get their own vaccine appointments.
The group can’t guarantee seniors will get an appointment through them immediately — they aren’t an official service after all — but for some, it might be their best option.
“We’ve all been in this for a very long time, we’re all anxious to get out of it, we want to hug our families, we want to get out of our homes and live normal lives again,” Schwartz said. “It’s going to happen, just because you don’t get the vaccine tomorrow or the end of this week or missed that appointment from Jackson or Publix, you’re gonna get it, it’s gonna happen, it’s just a matter of time. Stay positive, keep going at it and if you need help, just ask someone.”
As for the couple’s family, Schwartz’s parents booked appointments the day after the group was created and were vaccinated on Jan. 10, their 44th wedding anniversary. They said it was the “best gift ever.”
Quirk’s father and stepmother recently recovered from COVID-19 and received monoclonal antibodies, so they’re still waiting to be vaccinated. Quirk’s mother received her vaccine in Hawaii, where she lives. She didn’t use their help.
This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 7:01 AM.
