Dothan psychiatric clinic administering one-dose J&J COVID-19 vaccine

Wiregrass Wellness Center received 2,000 doses of the vaccine last week and began administering them to patients by appointment only.

“We feel like it’s very beneficial for psychiatric health to be able to get out more, once the state guidelines allow for it,” Chief Financial Officer Kent Strunk said on Tuesday. “We feel it’s very important for people to get back into a routine and limiting the stress and anxiety by being closed in for so long and life being altered for the last year.”

WWC is opening up vaccinations to all people eligible in accordance with the latest Alabama Department of Public Health recommendations that as of Monday include people 55 and older, people aged 16-54 with serious underlying medical conditions, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and more frontline workers in identified professions.

To make an appointment, patients can call (334)-733-2602. Vaccinations are being administered inside the clinic’s conference room, to keep vaccination patients separated from the clinic’s regular patients.

Strunk said the clinic has the ability to vaccinate around 100 people per day as the supply lasts. Strunk said he is not sure if the clinic will receive more, since production of the J&J vaccine has been slow although efforts are ramping up.

“It’s hard to say if we’ll get more. I hope that we can. We’re definitely going to try,” Strunk said. “I know the need’s there and we definitely want to contribute to that as much as possible.”