Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas Division of Emergency (TDEM), the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), and the Texas Military Department (TMD) have announced 46 counties participating in the sixth week of the Save Our Seniors COVID-19 vaccine initiative. The Governor announced the Save Our Seniors program in Corpus Christi last month to provide vaccines to seniors throughout the state. To date, 107 counties have participated in the program.
“The ongoing success of Save Our Seniors is thanks to the incredible collaboration of our local partners who continue to identify and connect these vaccine resources to elderly Texans,” said Governor Abbott. “I look forward to our continued partnership with local officials across the state as we get more shots in arms and keep our communities safe.”
As part of the Save Our Seniors program, TDEM and TMD work alongside local jurisdictions to set up a central drive-through vaccine clinics in each community or administer directly to homebound seniors — these decisions are driven by local officials as they identify vulnerable residents in their communities to participate in this program.
Counties participating in the sixth round of the program are Aransas, Bowie, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Cass, Coke, Dallas, DeWitt, Duval, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hockley, Hopkins, Karnes, Kinney, Leon, Liberty, Lubbock, Madison, Marion, Matagorda, Mason, Maverick, Orange, Palo Pinto, Rains, Robertson, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Shelby, Sherman, Sutton, Terry, Titus, Trinity, Upshur, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Waller, Webb, Willacy, Williamson, and Wood.
Many of these counties are participating for a second time in order to administer second doses to eligible residents. In coordination with local and state partners, counties and cities have been selected based on recent data provided from DSHS related to the following factors:
- The state looked at the number of approved providers serving the area;
- The state took into account total allocations over the previous 12 weeks
- The state utilized data showing the least vaccinated counties for both 65+ and 75+ administered doses;
- The state focused on allocating vaccine equitably across the state.
Last month, Governor Abbott announced a new outreach partnership between the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and several partners to enhance the state’s Save Our Seniors program. The partnership includes the Texas Employee Retirement System, the Texas Teachers Retirement System, AARP, and Medicare health plans. Participating Medicare health plans include UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. HHSC will work with these partners to launch a direct outreach effort through email, phone calls, and direct mail to encourage seniors to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and to provide them with the tools and information they need to receive a vaccine.
