TUPELO, Miss.—To help protect our patients, North Mississippi Health Services hospitals in Tupelo, Amory, Eupora, Iuka, Pontotoc and West Point, Mississippi, and Hamilton, Alabama, began offering patients being treated in the hospital and Emergency Department for other health issues the opportunity to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination during their stay if desired.

“It has become very clear, through our Delta variant COVID experience, that vaccination is essential to preventing severe disease and death in COVID. The data supporting this exists at both a state and local level, with the vast majority of deaths being in nonvaccinated individuals,” says Dr. Jeremy Blanchard, NMHS chief medical officer. “We know that a person can only choose to take the vaccine if it is available to them. To improve that access, and to honor our responsibility to care for our community, we are now offering the first dose of the vaccine to all unvaccinated patients we’re treating in the hospital or the Emergency Department.”

In order to be fully vaccinated, patients will need to get their second dose at a NMHS clinic or retail pharmacy of their choice within the specified timeframe. There is no cost to the patient for vaccination. For more information, visit www.nmhs.net/coronavirus.