Sen. Michele Brooks, R-Erie/Crawford/Mercer/Warren, is pictured.

As Warren County lags behind the rest of her Senate district in COVID-19 vaccination rates, Sen. Michele Brooks wants the state to better include local pharmacies in its vaccine distribution plan.

Brooks, R-Erie/Crawford/Mercer/Warren, is sponsoring Senate Bill 620 to require the state Health Department to include local pharmacies in the commonwealth’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan. The legislation, co-sponsored by Sen. Amanda Cappelletti, D-Delaware/Montgomery, was introduced in the Senate on Thursday.

“Local pharmacists, family-owned, independent, small businesses, and even many of them rural, stepped up in the early weeks and months of the vaccine distribution to serve their local communities. These pharmacies worked tirelessly to change their processes, their staffing, and their business models to keep up with the demand and the needs outlined by the administration. Despite all these efforts, vaccine shipments continue to be withheld from them and their patients and local residents who trust and rely on them.”

Through Thursday, Warren County has the lowest vaccination rate in Brooks’ district with 26.77% of county residents vaccinated. In the rest of Brooks’ district, 39.59% of Erie County residents, 32.73% of Crawford County residents and 33.85% of Mercer County residents are vaccinated. Warren’s vaccination rate is higher than neighboring McKean County (20.85%) and lower than Forest County (53.75%) and Elk County (41.23%).

Brooks and Cappelletti say having pharmacies on the distribution list will make vaccinating rural counties more efficient.

“While the demand yet again increases, the number of vaccine providers administering the vaccines remains limited,” Brooks and Cappelletti wrote in their legislative memorandum. “Our approach must be one that ensures hard to reach populations have access to vaccines and to address vaccine hesitancy. Local pharmacies are best suited to handle this matter.”

A vaccination clinic will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday at the First Church of God Madison Avenue through Gaughn’s Drug Store. The clinic is limited to 50 customers.

While Brooks wants to see more doses directed to pharmacies in small counties, Chris Darling of Darling’s Sugar Grove Pharmacy, told The Times Observer recently that his drug store has vaccine in stock.

“We are at the point of same day or next day appointments,” Darling said last week. “They can call the pharmacy — (814) 489-7777 — and many days get the vaccine same day. We have a nice inventory of vaccine with a mix of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, depending on patient choice.”

There are doses in stock at Gaughn’s Drug Store, CVS Pharmacy, Walmart, Darling’s Sugar Grove Healthmart Pharmacy and Warren General Hospital, though the hospital is using its stock on second doses, after which people will be directed to other local providers.