Montana Western Faculty, Staff and Students,

The Beaverhead County Public Health Department (BCPHD) will host the next Community Phase 1B and 1B+ COVID-19 vaccination clinic this Friday, March 12^th, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on our campus. This is expected to continue through at least the end of the spring semester as BCPHD continues to administer vaccines as directed by the State’s vaccination plan. For questions regarding these vaccinations or to make an appointment, please call 406-683-3203.

Phase 1B and 1B+ recipients include:

• Persons aged 60 years and older. 
• American Indians and other people of color who may be at elevated risk for COVID-19 complications. 
• Persons aged 16-59 with high-risk medical conditions, including:         
  • Cancer 
  • Asthma
  • Cerebrovascular disease 
  • Chronic Kidney Disease 
  • Cystic Fibrosis
  • COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) 
  • Down Syndrome 
  • Heart conditions, such as Heart Failure, Coronary Artery Disease, or Cardiomyopathies
  • Immunocompromised State (weakened immune system): 

• • •  Solid Organ Transplant 
    • Blood or bone marrow transplant 
    • Immune deficiencies 
    • HIV 
    • Use of corticosteroids or other immune-weakening medications 

• • Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) 
  • Sickle Cell Disease 
  • Type 1 & 2 Diabetes Mellitus 
  • Thalassemia 
  • Liver disease 
  • Neurologic conditions such as dementia 
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis 

• On a case-by-case basis, medical providers may include individuals with other conditions that place them at elevated risk for COVID-19 related complications. Please contact your healthcare provider if you think this may pertain to you. 

On-Campus Reminders:

• The entire BARC parking lot will be closed every Friday to accommodate the large number of individuals attending the vaccination clinics. 
• Some of our local first responders will be present to assist Public Health with managing traffic flow.
• We will not have on-campus COVID-19 Rapid Testing for students on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Fridays continuing this week.
• Students, you can still get tested at the Community Health Clinic Drive-Up from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please call 406-683-4440 to schedule an appointment if you would like to be tested on a Tuesday, Thursday or Friday.
• On-campus rapid testing will continue to be offered to students on Mondays and Wednesdays each week, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the garage of the Dean of Students Center. You can schedule your drive-up test by calling 406-683-7388.  

CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program 

• *Please note: currently, the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program that our local Safeway Pharmacy is participating in does not apply to individuals working in institutions of higher education at this time. We will keep you updated if this changes in the future. For more information, visit the CDC website.*

We hope you have a healthy week.

Be well, Bulldogs!

Sadie Caltrider, COVID-19 Testing Coordinator
Baylee Rawson, COVID-19 Communications Coordinator