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Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. announced a partnership Dec. 28 with Saint Barnabas Medical Center to be the health care partner at the Essex County vaccination site in the former Sears building at the Livingston Mall.

Saint Barnabas Medical Center (SBMC), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, will be the exclusive health care provider responsible for coordinating vaccinators at the Livingston Mall location. This clinic is open to residents of Belleville, Livingston, Millburn, Maplewood, Newark, Orange and South Orange. It is located in the former Sears building, 112 Eisenhower Parkway, Livingston.

As part of the announcement, Maria Magno, assistant director of nursing at the Essex County Hospital Center, was administered the COVID-19 vaccine before the site opened for the day.

“Getting five vaccination sites ready was just the first step in the process. We knew getting volunteers to staff the centers was just as crucial. When we approached RWJBarnabas Health and CEO Barry Ostrowsky, he did not hesitate in providing nurses to work at the vaccination center at the Sears building. This is just another example of the long-standing partnership we have with RWJBarnabas Health and the commitment to the community they have,” DiVincenzo said.

“RWJBarnabas Health has been working diligently with the state to support the New Jersey Department of Health’s ambitious vaccination plan to get 70 percent of the state’s adult population vaccinated in six months,” said Ostrowsky.

“Since early March, our amazing healthcare heroes at Saint Barnabas Medical Center have cared for more than 1,500 hospitalized patients. Until now, we have been on the defense with this virus, utilizing every tool that we have to treat it,” said Stephen Zieniewicz, president and CEO at SBMC. “We are excited to partner with our Essex County Executive and embrace this historic vaccination effort for the residents of our community,” he added.

Limited doses of the vaccine are available, and the State Department of Health has compiled a phased-in approach to ensure the vaccine is distributed in a fair and equitable manner until larger quantities of the vaccine become available.

Those who are eligible to receive the vaccine first are paid and unpaid health care workers who may have contact with infected patients or infectious materials and people who are at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness, including those over the age of 65 and those with underlying health issues.

This vaccination site will be open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eligible residents can make appointments at www.EssexCOVID.org or by calling 973-877-8456. Vaccinations will be given in two doses. Residents making reservations to receive the vaccination will receive two appointments. It is critical that residents attend both appointments.

Residents will be asked to provide their medical insurance information and their insurance provider will be billed $16.94 for the first dose and $28.39 for the second dose. If a resident does not have insurance, the cost of the vaccine will be covered by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provide Relief Fund. There will be no out-of-pocket expenses charged to residents.

Residents entering the vaccination site will be pre-screened to verify they have an appointment. Those who do not have an appointment will not be allowed to receive the vaccine that day. Residents will then proceed to a registration table where they will be provided with their paperwork for their visit and receive a card to remind them about their second appointment. After being inoculated with the vaccine, residents will be required to wait 15 minutes while they are monitored for any side effects.