GRAMERCY - About 200 COVID-19 vaccines are administered at Gem Drugs Pharmacy each week.

It's an accelerated process that wouldn't be possible without outside help.

"In the beginning, it was very difficult because we had multiple binders and notebooks and we were contacting people ourselves," Pharmacist Jeanne Maylon said.

Maylon said they knew early on they wanted to be a part of the state's vaccination effort.
But with few employees of their own, a little assistance was needed.

"Before vaccines opened up, the waitlist was long. We probably had three to four hundred people on a list, but now that vaccines expanded and Relief Health has stepped in it seems to be going a lot quicker," Maylon said.

It's become a necessary partnership for some local pharmacies.

The CEO of Relief Health, Vishal Visanji, recently launched a new way to help shorten vaccine waitlists. His virtual care platform handles everything from scheduling to administration to billing.

"We recognize that independent pharmacies aren't set up to handle large volumes of vaccinations. With our technology platform and fleet of onsite nurses we could help pharmacies, like Gem Drugs, and take over their vaccination program," Visanji said.

He's already on track to help at least four local pharmacies vaccinate about 700 patients each week. A win-win for pharmacies and the community.

"It's a big help, tremendous help," Maylon said.

Relief Health says they plan to expand their vaccination efforts to employers across Louisiana. For more information visit relief.health/vaccine.