Disappointing Experience At GMR Lake Sumter College Covid Vaccination Site
 

My wife had an appointment to get her Covid-19 shot at the GMR Lake Sumter College site in Sumterville this morning. She is under 65 years old, has diabetes and is eligible under the recent order signed by Governor DeSantis. Before making the appointment we put her birth date in the online form and answered ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you have a chronic health condition that will qualify you for the vaccination’? GMR sent the approval code and we scheduled an appointment.

We showed up on time and brought the State form signed by her doctor approving her for the vaccine based on extreme vulnerability to Covid-19. Her barcode was checked upon entrance and when we got to the front of the line the personnel on site refused to give her the vaccination because she is under 65. I showed them her signed form again and they still refused to vaccinate her.

I then pulled into a parking space so as not to block others from getting their vaccine and tried to call the Health Department. While trying to call, GMR personnel asked us to leave. I moved to a parking spot further away and a GMR employee came up to my car window and threatened to call the police unless I immediately departed the site. We were treated in a rude and insulting manner by GMR personnel and I don’t think this organization is worthy of working in Sumter County.

The Federal site at Valencia College that we drove to yesterday had to have the official form and not the letter from the doctor we had originally picked up to allow our daughter who is under 65 and high risk. (We brought both) It sounds like GMR didn't have a place for parking for people to straighten things out. That does sound really rude.

The Sumter County site was following the rules. The form that the doctor signed can only be used at a doctor's office or at a pharmacy. The county vaccine sites cannot vaccinate people under 65 even if they have the form.

OP, have you contacted someone in authority? That is the only way you will get any satisfaction, posting here won't accomplish anything. I work on the squeaky wheel method of correction. I don't waste time with a local manager, etc., I get ahold of the headquarters and very plainly voice my displeasure and will continue up the management ladder if necessary. Call your state representative and let them know of the problem.

People who qualify medically must get vaccinated by physician, advanced registered nurse or licensed pharmacist.
Know Before You Go

Based upon the previous quote they were right not to give her the vaccine.

They were wrong for being so rude about it.

I'm so sorry that this happened to you and your wife. My husband and I got our first COVID vaccination 3 weeks ago and were told they would call to schedule the 2nd appt. He got a call, I did not. I, like your wife, has diabetes which I added to the form that was required to complete. I am 66 so the age is not a problem. I have called the 'appt numbers' 4 times 48 hrs prior to our 2nd vaccination as advised by the health personnel at the 1st vaccination. I could not get through. I called back 24 hours prior and was asked by recording quite a few questions and then told I would get a call back when the vaccination is AVAILABLE!!! What? Now the vaccinations are no longer available however on the news today, they are going to start vaccinating the school employees! I think the 'system' is handled VERY poorly. I feel they have hired a lot of people, gave them a 30 minute training and set them free. Reminds me of some people I know that have a little knowledge and think they can run the place!

Was that in Lake County? The GMR Moderna 2nd vaccine was automatically scheduled one month from the first one, so there was no need for them to call.

This information should have been made available to the OP prior to them making the trek to the immunization site. Now, what doctor's offices are giving the vaccine? None that I'm aware of and I've been trying for a long time to get an appointment at a pharmacy with no luck so far. The OP's spouse met the requirements for getting the vaccine, had a doctor's approval for getting it so should have been able to get at that site. Pure incompetence on someone's part that this wasn't provided for in the policy.
I'm not familiar with this site, so is this parking area on private or public property? If it is public property or even private property open to the public for parking you can't be charged with trespassing for just parking there unless you are causing a disturbance. This threat was made by a self important wannabe dictator who isn't any more important than an amoeba and didn't like someone questioning their actions.

Lake County is Pfizer. Sumter County is Moderna.
Lake County is extremely organized. Called 352-464-9065 in Feb and got an appointment 2 days later. With Pfizer you only have to wait 3 weeks to get 2nd shot. They gave us a card that said 3/4 but no time. They said they'd call to confirm within 48 hours of our date and they didn't so we went anyway at the same time as our last appointment. We were in and out in 25 mins which included the 15 mins hold.

I guess you "Didn't know before you go (or went)", however there was no excuse for them not explaining it to you (or maybe they did and you wouldn't accept it?).




GOVERNOR EXPANDS VACCINE ELIGIBILITY TO EDUCATORS, LAW ENFORCEMENT 50+ AND MEDICALLY VULNERABLE

• Persons under 65 deemed medically vulnerable* by a physician (form required);
• K-12 school employees 50 years of age and older;
• Sworn law enforcement officers 50 years of age and older; and
• Firefighters 50 years of age and older

Not completely true. According to Orange County, the FEMA site at Valencia College in Orlando will vaccinate her. Too bad we have to drive that far to get it done.

Regardless, GMR shouldn't be making appointments for someone in that category even though I answered their question correctly.

That's good information that's not even listed in The Governators "Know before you go" page and definitely should have been. However GMR isn't a FEMA site and other than allegedly being rude they should have informed you when you pulled in. If they did inform you would you still have argued with them considering they were correct?

Op may have been rude too. Just saying

GMR's website should have rejected the OP's request for vaccination when the DOB was entered. Something went wrong there because the OP stated that GMR generated a code for registration, even with the DOB indication under 65. The DOB should have automatically rejected the request to register. Hope GMR fixes this glitch in their system until they are authorized to vaccinate the under 65 group.