Name: Vaccine sites worry of volunteer shortage amid eligibility announcement
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Vaccine sites worry of volunteer shortage amid eligibility announcement

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You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.Welcome,With the announcement of more vaccine eligibility on Monday, several people who were signed up to volunteer at vaccination sites backed out, but organizers say volunteers are still needed.PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- HandsOn Greater Phoenix worries they will have a shortage of volunteers at vaccination sites now that the eligibility window has expanded to Arizonans 16 and older."The sites are staffed primarily by volunteers. If you drive through the site, the people you see on the ground are largely volunteers. There's not a lot of paid staff out there," said Rhonda Oliver, CEO of HandsOn Greater Phoenix.Oliver says they need about 700 volunteers per day between Phoenix Municipal and State Farm stadiums. A huge incentive for volunteers is that they receive the vaccine after their shift."We have heard by and large from volunteers that they are volunteering because they get access to the vaccine earlier than they otherwise would have," Oliver explained, adding that many do find the experience positive and would come back to volunteer again.Volunteer shifts have been hard to come by since the program started in early February."When we started in February, it was chaos. I mean, there were 20-25,000 people vying for those slots when we would list them. It started to shift, and we knew it would," Oliver said. "We knew as the vaccine became more available to the general population and as more people volunteered and got the vaccine that the pool would shrink, and it has."Oliver said that once the announcement was made, many volunteers canceled their shifts.Carrera Beane, who volunteered on Friday, said she had a great experience and would do it again."I just kind of looked at it as a way of like, this is such an awesome opportunity that so many people who lost their lives to COVID can't do," Beane explained. "The vaccine, obviously, is a plus, but the opportunity in itself was awesome."Oliver says shifts are getting hard to fill, and if the trend continues, they plan on reaching out to those who have already volunteered."We've said, we know things are going to change, and so we hope you'll be on standby and when the time comes that we need to ring the bell and ask you to come back and serve again that you will be willing to do so," Oliver said.Both Oliver and Beane said it's about more than just getting yourself vaccinated."You do it because typically you want to make a difference, and so our mission at Hands On is to put volunteers to work where they're needed most, and we think this is where we're needed most right now," Oliver said."I would just tell people and urge people to get out there and help so we can all get vaccinated, and hopefully we can all start living a more normal life again," Beane said.Dr. Cara Christ said at a press conference on Monday afternoon that she hopes volunteers still come forward to help the vaccination sites. She said if needed, the Arizona Department of Health will have to work with ASU Asure to get contracts to pay people, transitioning the vaccination sites from volunteer-based to staff.&nbsp;Copyright 2021 KPHO/KTVK (KPHO Broadcasting Corporation). All rights reserved.© Copyright 2021 (A Meredith Corporation Station), 5555 N. Seventh Avenue Phoenix, AZ&nbsp;| &nbsp;| &nbsp;|Powered by from .

You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.Welcome,With the announcement of more vaccine eligibility on Monday, several people who were signed up to volunteer at vaccination sites backed out, but organizers say volunteers are still needed.PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- HandsOn Greater Phoenix worries they will have a shortage of volunteers at vaccination sites now that the eligibility window has expanded to Arizonans 16 and older."The sites are staffed primarily by volunteers. If you drive through the site, the people you see on the ground are largely volunteers....

Vaccine sites worry of volunteer shortage amid eligibility announcement

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