LITTLE ROCK – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) is encouraging Arkansans to get Shots In ARms as he highlights and discusses vaccine distribution efforts in the Natural State this week.

“I hope every Arkansan who is eligible to receive a vaccine will get one,” Boozman said. “This is important for the health of every resident and the eagerness we all share to return to normal as quickly as possible.”

This morning, Boozman will meet with Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) Dr. José Romero and Arkansas Division of Emergency Management (ADEM) Director AJ Gary to tour a vaccine receiving area in central Arkansas. Later, he will sit down with Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Johnny Key to discuss how vaccine distribution is going for teachers and how students are doing in this pandemic school year.

Boozman will continue the tour with visits to vaccine distribution sites at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health facilities, retail pharmacies, hospitals, community events and local clinics. The tour will include opportunities for Boozman to discuss the challenges and successes local government and health care leaders have experienced during the vaccination push.

The emphasis on COVID-19 vaccination efforts comes on the heels of Boozman’s bipartisan Strengthening and Amplifying Vaccination Efforts to Locally Immunize all Veterans and Every Spouse (SAVE LIVES) Act being signed into law last week. The legislation allows the VA to vaccinate all veterans, their spouses, caregivers and some dependents to the extent that vaccines are available, as well as urges the federal government to allocate more doses to the department based on this increased eligibility.

“I am proud of the tremendous effort by health care professionals in every corner of our state to find the most effective ways to deliver vaccines quickly to Arkansans,” Boozman said. “I look forward to meeting with them to get a better idea of what they need from the federal government to best support their efforts.”