DES MOINES, Iowa -- Amid lagging demand, Iowa officials are encouraging anyone who's eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccination. Community pharmacies hope their connection with local residents will convince those on the fence to sign up.

This week, Gov. Kim Reynolds said the state has had to reduce requests for vaccine shipments as more counties decline them.

Lindsey Ludwig, executive director of the Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network, which works with independent pharmacies and smaller chains, said the slower pace isn't only because some people refuse to get a vaccination.

"Say, county road workers, they're working a ton of overtime right now, and they just don't have the time to find a place to get vaccinated," Ludwig explained. "Or, they don't have the time to be off work if they do, you know, have a day of side effects."

She added some farmers, busy with spring planting, might want to get a vaccination but can't right now.

For those who want more assurance about vaccine safety, Ludwig said local pharmacists and providers have accurate information. A number of locations in her group's network are expanding vaccination clinic hours to meet more flexible scheduling needs.

State health officials are no longer advising those who had their first shot to go back to the same location for the second one. They're free to take their vaccination card to any pharmacy or provider.

Ludwig hopes moves like this will boost demand, like the state saw earlier this year.

"We know it works, and we just need to improve the confidence level for those that might not be ready yet to receive the vaccine," Ludwig urged.

The network has more than 120 pharmacies in Iowa providing shots.

Meanwhile, groups like AARP Iowa said getting vaccinated is still a crucial step to protect vulnerable populations, such as people over age 50.

Iowans who don't have access to or don't use a computer can call 211 and work with a vaccine navigator to schedule an appointment.

When the Pueblo Community Health Center opened its 14,000 square-foot facility in 2003, Pueblo's east side, home to mostly minority residents, had the highest level of unmet need for primary health care in the city.

Donald Moore, CEO of the Center, said its new 64,000 square-foot building, which opened this month, will increase the number of patients they can serve from 6,600 to 24,000.

"We're increasing the number of that target population that can be reached with primary care," Moore explained. "If someone has a regular and usual source of primary health care, the outcomes tend to be better, the costs to the community tend to be lower."

Moore pointed out the new building also will enable the center to expand staff from 54 to 162 at full capacity. The east Pueblo facility is one of 20 safety-net community health centers in Colorado, providing medical, dental and behavioral care to Coloradans regardless of their ability to pay. The majority of patients served are working families living at or below the federal poverty level.

Moore noted COVID underscored the need to upgrade ventilation, which will dramatically increase the turnover of air throughout the new facility. An air ionization system has also been installed to reduce the time viruses hang in the air.

Pueblo has committed to run on 100% clean-energy sources by 2035, and Moore added the new building's net-zero energy design will help bolster community health.

"Energy the building uses will be provided entirely by the building itself," Moore emphasized. "Through a solar panel system, geothermal underground well system, and state-of-the-art insulation and lighting controls."

Expanding access to primary care has been shown to dramatically improve health outcomes, but Moore stressed medicine is just one tool in the toolkit. In addition to identifying conditions and courses of treatment, the center helps empower patients to access resources everyone needs in order to live healthy lives.

"So we have navigators and case managers that help the patient access the nonmedical resources they need to be successful; access to healthy food, access to safe places to exercise," Moore concluded.

As Wisconsin pushes through the Omicron surge, AARP is urging people to ensure their loved ones in assisted living facilities are protected.

According to AARP's COVID-19 dashboard, nearly 60% of the state's nursing-home residents have been fully vaccinated and boosted as of mid-December.

Helen Marks Dicks, state issues advocacy director for AARP Wisconsin, encouraged families to learn more about how their loved ones' facilities are handling vaccinating and boosting residents and staff.

"So what is the current status? Are they getting vaccinations to all their residents and those already vaccinated? Are they getting them the booster?" Marks Dicks suggested. "And are they doing the screening and testing to make sure that they're in line with the government regulations about nursing homes?"

AARP has released a series of recommended questions people can ask to learn about how their loved ones' facilities are handling COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 800 COVID-19 cases among Wisconsin's nursing-home residents for the two-week period ending last Sunday, the highest number in more than a year.

According to AARP, as of mid-December, about 22% of Wisconsin's nursing-home direct care staff had been vaccinated and boosted.

Marks Dicks pointed out with the recent ruling from the Supreme Court on the federal government's health care worker vaccine mandate, the number will likely rise significantly in the coming weeks.

"The feds said that if you're receiving Medicare or Medicaid money, that you have to follow the guidelines they set up," Marks Dicks explained.

According to the American Hospital Association, the deadline for those workers to be fully vaccinated is Feb. 28. Overall, new COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin have declined since Jan. 19, but are still higher than they were for most of 2021.

As COVID hospitalization in Arkansas hit their highest levels of the pandemic, Gov. Asa Hutchinson is asking the state Legislature to allocate funds to open up more beds.

On Monday, Arkansas reported more than 1,800 people hospitalized for COVID-19, a record high Hutchinson said is straining the health-care system. In his weekly news briefing Tuesday, he called on the Arkansas Legislative Council to approve $4.7 million in American Rescue Plan funds to allow the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to purchase and staff 28 additional hospital beds and seven ICU beds.

"Even though we hope that hospitalizations will decline, the number is still very high, and it's really causing a backlog and a challenge for our ambulance drivers," Hutchinson said. "Those that are bringing patients to the emergency rooms, we're challenged there and we need to have that relief."

Despite record-shattering hospitalizations, active cases appear to be on the decline. The state is averaging a little less than 8,000 COVID cases per day, according to Johns Hopkins University.

During the latest surge, said Secretary of Health José Romero, Arkansas exceeded its high-water mark for pediatric hospitalizations.

"Although the numbers are going down, other children are still going to be infected and that number will exceed where we are today," Romero said. "So please, get your vaccinations. Encourage your friends and neighbors to do so - and of course, get the vaccinations for your children. It's a safe and effective vaccine. It is the way to protect them."

On Tuesday, the governor also announced a new partnership between Arkansas State Police, the Arkansas Department of Transportation and phone carriers that creates a non-emergency hotline for motorists. By dialing *277, drivers can reach their closest state trooper headquarters to report stranded motorists or suspicious activity.