As Central Valley Hospitals Put Out Another S.O.S. Call, City of Porterville Continues Incentivizing COVID-19 Vaccines

Porterville, CA – February 15, 2021

COVID-19 vaccination efforts continue strong as SVMC-Imperial Ambulance and the City of Porterville provide a safe place for community members to receive their COVID-19 vaccines/boosters and a $100 gift card to a local Porterville business. Thanks to the strength of the collaboration, more than 25,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the Porterville area. Porterville’s City Council approved the 9th Vaccine Roundup set to happen this week. The $100 Gift Cards continue to be federally funded through the city’s use of some of their American Rescue Plan Act funding. Vaccination continues to be a leading line of defense to prevent COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Community members interested in receiving a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can do so weekly from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Thursdays – Saturdays, at the SVMC-Imperial Ambulance Community Vaccination Clinic located at 385 Pearson Dr. in Porterville, California. This week’s Vaccine Roundup event will occur at the vaccination clinic on February 17, 18, 19, 2022. $100 gift cards will be available to individuals 12 and older receiving a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

ER S.O.S. and the Importance of Boosters

Sierra View Medical Center continues working with other Central Valley hospitals to remind community members that the pandemic still poses a challenge to the capacity of our hospitals to care for our community’s sickest patients. In collaboration with Central Valley hospitals, Sierra View has put out another S.O.S. community alert, this time to remind community members about when to seek emergency care and when to consider primary care or urgent care locations.

The burden on health care from the pandemic continues to grow, especially in the Emergency Rooms,” says Dr. James Comes of Community Medical Centers in Fresno. He is joined in a 30-second video message by Dr. Alan Givertz of Saint Agnes Medical Center, to reassure the greater community that we are doing everything we can as hospitals to accommodate the health needs of our community members. “If you’re sick, call your primary care doctor or urgent care first,” says Dr. Comes. “They often can see you faster and help you decide if a visit to the emergency room is necessary.”

Emergency care services continue available 24/7 at Sierra View Medical Center. If patients are experiencing an emergency or have a serious condition, we remind them not to delay care and call 9-1-1- as needed or visit their emergency department as necessary. “Getting vaccinated and boosted is still your best way to stay out of the hospital,” reminds Dr. Comes.

The S.O.S. campaign is in partnership with:

Community Health System

UCSF Fresno

Madera Community Hospital

Saint Agnes Medical Center

Kaweah Health

San Joaquin Valley Rehabilitation Hospital

Healthy Fresno County

Sierra View Medical Center

Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency

Porterville’s Vaccine Roundup is one of the most successful local responses to improving vaccination and booster rates in southeastern Tulare County.

Vaccine Roundup Event Info Summary

Community members 12 and up receiving a dose of the Pfizer vaccine (1st, 2nd or Booster Doses) or a Moderna Booster on Thursday – Saturday, February 15, 16, 17, 2022 will receive a $100 Gift Card to a local Porterville business!

Gift Cards are provided by the City of Porterville with federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

• WHO: Community members 12 years and older eligible to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the vaccination clinic.

• WHAT: $100 Gift Card to a local Porterville business to individuals 12 years of age and older receiving the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (1st, 2nd or Booster Dose (3rd) or to those receiving a Moderna Booster Dose. Incentive does not apply to children 5-11 years of age.

• WHERE: Community Vaccination Clinic, 385 Pearson Dr., Porterville, CA 93257.

• WHEN: Thursday, Friday, Saturday (February 17, 18, 19, 2022)

• TIME: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. LAST WALK-IN TIME: 5 p.m. Please arrive before this time.

Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are encouraged. Please pre-register by visiting myturn.ca.gov.

This is a vaccination effort in partnership between the City of Porterville, Sierra View Medical Center, Imperial Ambulance and Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency.

For more info about the SVMC-Imperial Ambulance Community Vaccination Clinic, please visit www.sierra-view.com/COVIDvaccines. For Spanish, please visit www.sierra-view.com/vacunasCOVID. For toolkit, please visit www.sierra-view.com/VaccineRoundup.

Images and Captions

S.O.S. ft. Emergency Room Physicians is viewable at https://youtu.be/rinVTElV24A and across social media platforms.

Social media materials feature easy to scan QR codes directing individuals to myturn.ca.gov.

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Sierra View Medical Center (SVMC) is an integrated healthcare system located in Porterville, California, and is the health care service of the Sierra View Local Health Care District. The hospital serves the Southern Sequoia region of California’s Central Valley and is the pre-eminent health care provider in the area. The 167-bed hospital is comprised of 132 acute care beds and a distinct part skilled nursing (DP/SNF) facility with 35 beds, in addition to primary and specialty outpatient clinics. Sierra View Medical Center features the latest in stroke care and is certified by The Joint Commission as an Advanced Primary Stroke Care Center and offers specialty heart care services at the Cardiac Catheterization Lab licensed by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). SVMC provides excellent health care services in a compassionate environment where the goal is to make patients and their families feel comfortable. SVMC’s primary and specialty outpatient clinics and programs include: The Roger S. Good Cancer Treatment Center, the Urology Clinic, Wound Healing Center, Community Wellness Center, Physical Therapy, Intensivist Critical Care programs, and adult and pediatric hospitalist programs. SVMC has partnership affiliations with Valley Children’s Medical Center, Keck USC School of Medicine, and Healogics™. The hospital features a Graduate Medical Education (GME) Internal Residency Program, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and a Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program™ to cultivate and train superior community hospital-based healthcare professionals for our region and beyond.

By demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety, Sierra View Medical Center earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval. To learn more, please visit www.sierra-view.com. Questions? Please contact marketing@sierra-view.com. SVMC Media Kit available online: www.sierra-view.com/media-kit