A majority of older Pennsylvanians are still struggling to find COVID-19 vaccination appointments, and state legislators pushed this week for changes to the process.

“The seniors deserve a plan,” state Rep. Gary Day, chairman of the Aging and Older Adult Services Committee said during a public hearing. “I have talked to a woman who is 82 years old and her son in North Carolina who is battling cancer is trying to get on websites to get her an appointment. We need a list to make sure everyone who raises their hand and says I want to be protected by the vaccine gets it. Right now we’re just flapping our arms and saying we’re trying really hard to get to them, but showing no facts that we are getting to them.”

Department of Aging Secretary Robert Torres said the state’s prescription assistance programs PACE/PACENET is working to reach out to seniors and help them with getting vaccination appointments. Seniors can also contact their county’s Area Agency on Aging to get assistance.

“PACE/PACENET members can call 1-800-225-7223,” Torres said. “There has been quite a bit of traffic and we’ve had to adapt to meet that demand. When we can’t find an appointment right away, we will get back to them. We’re trying to get them on a waiting list. When we know something has opened up, we reach out to them again. My preference is to be proactive.”

Locally, however, many efforts have been futile. Marie Schriever, 67, of Albrightsville, has been on a waiting list, along with her 71-year-old husband, since January.

“Every day I go online to check,” Schriever said. “I even stayed up after midnight and all appointments were taken at 10 different Rite Aid stores in less than 10 minutes.”

The Schrievers both tested positive for COVID-19 in late November.

A survey sent to AARP members in Pennsylvania yielded 3,400 responses in 24 hours. AARP Pennsylvania State Director Bill Walsh said 81% of respondents reported they had tried to secure an appointment and only 27% had success.

“Our members are angry, deeply frustrated and increasingly desperate,” Walsh said. “They have called the system confusing, complicated and challenging.”

Joe Kosalko Sr., 73, of Summit Hill, has been preregistered through St. Luke’s University Health System’s “My Chart” for six weeks.

“I can’t seem to get the vaccine anywhere,” he said. “I have been calling all around including the Fairlane Village Mall in Pottsville. I have been on hold on the phone for hours and hours at a time without any luck.”

Kosalko said legislators need to put pressure on the Department of Health to “stop shortchanging smaller communities.”

The story is much of the same for Hazel Wood, 74, of Palmerton.

“I’ve been trying to get it through both Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke’s with no luck,” Wood said. “My issue is I hear of people who shouldn’t be eligible getting the shots. They just have no control over it. It’s very discouraging.”

Asked about a centralized system for vaccination appointments, Torres said he doesn’t think that option would get at the heart of the problem.

“The centralized call center may not have ability to schedule an appointment right away and they would still be out on a wait list,” he said.

Day, however, said it would show the state is trying.

“It gives the public peace of mind that the burden is not on them,” he said. “It will allow people to sleep at night.”

Torres said a joint task force last week supported the creation of more subcommittees, one of which will deal with the aging population.

“We do need more discussion on how to help homebound seniors and those who aren’t able to go to mass vaccine clinics because of transportation costs,” Torres said. “This subcommittee will help get at some of these solutions.”

Pennsylvania is currently in Phase 1A of its vaccine distribution plan, which includes eligibility for people 65 and older, health care workers, and people 16-64 with chronic illnesses. State officials said Pennsylvania has received about 3 million doses to date and will need 8 million to fully vaccine people in Phase 1A.

Talk of putting teachers in Phase 1A has Adam Marles, chief executive of LeadingAge PA, concerned that older residents will be fighting even more people for shots they can’t get now.

“That would definitely be detrimental to those who are struggling to get an appointment right now,” Marles said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday that teachers will receive doses of the newly approved one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, under a plan his administration will release.

Marles said about 80% of Pennsylvania’s 100,000 long-term care residents have taken the opportunity to get the vaccine. Only about 50% of long-term care staff, however, have been inoculated.

“More education and more effort is needed to make sure that increases,” Marles said. “As second and third vaccine clinics were happening, more people were getting the shots because they saw the side effects were not that bad and some of the fears were gone.”