Gundersen invites patients ages 16 to 64 with certain medical conditions to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations

Eligible patients will receive invitations through MyChart, mailed letter

Gundersen Health System invites more patients to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination as eligibility expands, supply increases, and community vaccination options grow.

About 102,000 Gundersen patients in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota will receive an invitation over the next week to schedule their COVID-19 vaccination. The invitations follow state eligibility guidance for people ages 16 to 64 with certain medical conditions listed below.

Gundersen patients with a MyChart account will receive an invitation through the patient portal. Patients without a MyChart account will receive a mailed letter with scheduling instructions.

Anyone who is eligible to receive the vaccination should consider any communication vaccination option.

Eligible medical conditions include:

• Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
• Cancer
• Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Cystic fibrosis
• Diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2
• Down syndrome
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
• Hypertension or high blood pressure
• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant, blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
• Liver disease
• Neurologic conditions, such as intellectual disabilities and dementia
• Obesity (body mass index of 30-39 kg/m2)
• Overweight (BMI of 25-29 kg/m2)
• Pregnancy
• Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
• Severe obesity (BMI 40 kg/m2 or more)
• Sickle cell disease
• Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)

It's important for patients to know that Gundersen would not ask for social security numbers or other personal information over the phone when calling to schedule vaccination appointments.