St. Louis-area group homes couldn't get vaccine. The state's advice? Be 'scrappy' [View all]

WEBSTER GROVES — Maria Schroeder was worried and increasingly anxious. It was weeks after coronavirus vaccine distribution had started in Missouri, and she still had 11 intellectually disabled residents who required 24-hour support — and no vaccine.

She expected someone to tell her how to get it. Finally, in mid-January, the state sent her a list.

But Schroeder, assistant director for L’Arche St. Louis, which runs three group homes in St. Louis County, quickly realized the list was cluttered with every brick-and-mortar CVS, Walgreens and Costco — locations that, while approved to vaccinate, often had no doses of vaccine.

Over the next two work days, Schroeder made 200 calls.

“We’re a very small agency, we don’t have a lot of connections,” said Schroeder. “It was very obvious if I didn’t do this, we weren’t going to get vaccines.”

Read more: https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/st-louis-area-group-homes-couldn-t-get-vaccine-the-state-s-advice-be-scrappy/article_9f99155e-ecb6-53b2-ae1b-c42572419824.html