O"FALLON, IL. - COVID-19 vaccines for patients ages six months and older are now available at HSHS Medical Group drive-thru locations.
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HSHS Medical Group provides COVID-19 vaccines and testing to the public at drive-thru locations in Decatur, Springfield, and O’Fallon. Appointments are required for all vaccine doses and testing.
Established patients may receive vaccines and testing at some primary care clinics. Call your local HSHS Medical Group primary care office to check availability.
How to make a vaccine appointment
It is free and easy to create a MyHSHS account and schedule an appointment online:
- Go to www.myhshs.org.
- Login or create a MyHSHS account by clicking “Sign Up Now.”
- Under Quick Links, click “COVID-19 Vaccine Link.”
- Click “COVID-19 Test/Vaccine” and answer questions on eligibility to schedule a test or a first, second or third dose vaccine appointment.
- You will be able to choose from available appointments at our Springfield, Decatur, and O’Fallon drive-thru locations.
Vaccine appointments may also be scheduled by calling 1-844-216-4707. Testing appointments may not be scheduled by phone and must be scheduled online via MyHSHS.
If appointments are full, please check back as additional days and times will be added based on available vaccine supplies and clinic days. You can also visit www.vaccines.gov/search for other vaccine and testing options in your area. To find an HSHS vaccine clinic near you, visit www.HSHS.org/vaccine.
The importance of vaccination
HSHS Medical Group encourages families to speak with their child’s doctor or provider about COVID vaccination. While most children experience mild symptoms from COVID, it doesn’t mean children don’t need the protection of vaccination. “Most kids’ symptoms are mild, but over 500 kids have died with COVID in the past two years. And children can spread COVID to the higher risk people in their lives,” says James M. Bock, MD, chief physician executive of HSHS Medical Group.
While we may be ready to move on, the pandemic continues to be a significant health concern for our communities. “Although harder to track now that home testing is more widely available, the number of COVID cases is pretty high right now. It is expected to further surge with the omicron variants this summer, very similar to the last two summer surges,” says Dr. Bock.
Patients shouldn’t be discouraged when a vaccinated person gets COVID – it doesn’t mean the vaccine isn’t helpful. “The current vaccines were designed based on the original wild-type coronavirus and therefore may be less effective at preventing mild infection with the newer variants,” says Dr. Bock. “It’s important to remember that the current vaccines remain highly effective at preventing severe infection leading to hospitalization and death.”
About HSHS Medical Group
HSHS Medical Group is the physician organization of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). Launched in 2009, HSHS Medical Group is a critical component of the HSHS Care Integration strategy, which focuses on bringing physicians, technology, and patients together to improve the overall health of our communities. Today, HSHS Medical Group is comprised of over 1,300 colleagues in locations throughout central and southern Illinois. HSHS Medical Group is powered by the Franciscan history of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, and our faith-based identity led us to the single most important tenet of the HSHS Medical Group philosophy — patient-first care. For more information about HSHS Medical Group, visit HSHSMedicalGroup.org.
About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high-quality Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our physician practices and 15 local hospitals in two states – Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville, and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.
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