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Long-Term Care Program

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Photo by Daniel Schludi on Unsplash

126 Skilled Nursing Facilities to Receive Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 30, 2020

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced that the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program has begun vaccinating residents and staff at 126 Pennsylvania skilled nursing facilities using the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

“Vaccinating residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities is critical to protecting these vulnerable populations,” Dr. Levine said. “As our federal partners work to coordinate vaccinations for this critical population, we remind Pennsylvanians to remain calm and patient as we continue to roll out our phased distribution.”

Starting on Monday, December 28, CVS Pharmacy has been working to vaccinate residents and staff in 120 skilled nursing facilities; Walgreens has also been holding vaccine clinics at six skilled nursing facilities. Developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the program provides end-to-end management of the COVID-19 vaccination process at no cost to the facilities. The distribution timeline of facilities was selected by CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, and Operation Warp Speed.

In the first weeks, the partnership will vaccinate skilled nursing facilities’ staff and residents. In Pennsylvania, these facilities are licensed by the Department of Health. All licensed skilled nursing facilities in Pennsylvania are eligible for the program. Of the eligible facilities, 603 have chosen the federal pharmacy partnership to complete vaccination, and 89 have opted out of the federal pharmacy partnership. The department will be working with those who have opted out to complete vaccinations. Pennsylvania submitted to the CDC a list of additional facility types for the CDC’s review and approval to participate in the federal partnership, including personal care homes, assisted living facilities, private intermediate care facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities, community group homes, residential treatment facilities for adults, long-term structured residences, state veterans homes, state centers, private psychiatric hospitals, and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). If the CDC approves these facility types, they will receive vaccination through the partnership after skilled nursing facilities.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is receiving its own allocations of vaccine from the federal government and is operating separately from the efforts of the department.

As of December 29, hospitals have vaccinated 96,045 health-care workers and will continue to vaccinate those in Group 1A. This week, 56 hospitals either have or will receive 47,775 Pfizer-BioNTech and 26,100 Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses. They will be shipped directly to hospitals and health-care systems for continued vaccination of hospital staff and non-affiliated individuals through coordinated hospital partnerships.

Pennsylvania hospitals began receiving shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine the week of December 14 and shipments of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine the week of December 21.

A spreadsheet of facilities that have received the vaccine can be found here.

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

  • Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
  • Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
  • Clean surfaces frequently.
  • Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
  • If you must go out, you are required to wear a mask when in a business or where it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.
  • Download the COVID Alert PA app and make your phone part of the fight. The free app can be found in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store by searching for “covid alert pa”.

Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, and Graphics

All Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertPA, a text notification system for health, weather, and other important alerts like COVID-19 updates from commonwealth agencies. Residents can sign up online.

MEDIA CONTACT:  April Hutcheson

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is partnering with pharmacies to offer on-site COVID-19 vaccination services for long-term care facilities when a vaccine becomes available. The Pharmacy Partnership for Long-term Care Program provides end-to-end management of the COVID-19 vaccination process, including cold chain management, on-site vaccinations, and fulfillment of reporting requirements, to facilitate safe vaccination of this patient population while reducing the burden on facilities and jurisdictional health departments.

The program is available for residents and staff in long-term care settings where most individuals are over 65 years of age, including skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, residential care homes, and adult family homes. Additionally, facilities must be enrolled in the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) to participate in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-term Care Program; all facilities enrolled in the NHSN are eligible to participate. Intermediate Care Facility and intellectual disability (ICF/ID) facilities wishing to enroll in the NHSN should follow the enrollment steps listed here. Other facilities wishing to participate should visit here to see if they are eligible to enroll in the NHSN.

Participation in this program identifies your facility as willing to receive vaccines from CVS or Walgreens when the vaccine becomes available and if your facility is eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine. The program is free of charge to facilities. CVS or Walgreens will bill private and public insurance for the vaccine administration fee. Additional information regarding COVID-19 vaccination costs can be found here.

All Long-term Care Facilities wishing to participate in the program must be registered with the Pharmacy Partnership to determine eligibility.

ODP providers of adult day programs/Community Participation Supports, residential services, and Intermediate Care Facilities willing to receive the vaccine through this Partnership program may complete this online form. Please respond by 11:59 pm EDT on Friday, November 6, 2020

If you have any questions please email.

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