by Julianne Stahl
Associates in Action articles highlight CSG Associates’ philanthropic efforts and public-private partnerships throughout the states.
CSG Associates, CVS Health and Walgreen Co., reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Defense to allow the two health care companies to provide and administer COVID-19 vaccines to residents of long-term care facilities nationwide with no out-of-pocket costs. The effort will support Operation Warp Speed goals to protect vulnerable Americans. Long-term care facility residents may be part of the prioritized groups for initial COVID-19 vaccination efforts until doses are available for every American who wishes to be vaccinated.
The Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program provides complete management of the COVID-19 vaccination process. This means residents and staff of long-term care facilities across the country will be able to receive the vaccination safely and efficiently. The partnership also seeks to minimize the burden of vaccine handling, administration and reporting requirements for long-term care facilities and jurisdictional health departments.
The program is not mandatory, and a long-term care facility may request to use its current pharmacy contracts to support COVID-19 vaccination. Nursing homes can sign up via the National Healthcare Safety Network and assisted living facilities can sign up via an online survey they will receive. The program is free of charge to facilities and is available to residents of long-term care facilities and staff who have not been previously tested.
CVS and Walgreen Co. will coordinate on-site clinic dates with each facility. In order to administer both doses of a vaccine (if indicated) to residents and staff, approximately three visits over two months will likely be required.
The pharmacies will also:
- Receive and manage vaccines and associated supplies (e.g., syringes, needles and personal protective equipment).
- Ensure cold chain management for vaccine.
- Provide on-site administration of vaccine.
- Report required vaccination data (including location, person vaccinated, and vaccine used) to the state, local or territorial and federal public health authorities within 72 hours of administering each dose.
- Adhere to all applicable Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements for COVID-19 testing for long-term care facility staff.
“CVS Health has been on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19, working across the health care spectrum in all the communities we serve and that will continue to be the case when we have a vaccine to dispense,” said Troy Brennan, chief medical officer at CVS Health.
Immunization with a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is a critical component of the nation’s strategy to reduce COVID-19-related illness, hospitalizations, and deaths. Early in the COVID-19 vaccination program, there may be a limited supply of a COVID-19 vaccine, and vaccination efforts will focus on those critical to the response, those providing direct care and those at highest risk for developing severe illness from COVID-19, including long-term care facility residents.
“Ensuring access to COVID-19 vaccines, particularly among our most vulnerable populations, will be critical to saving lives and helping our nation recover from the pandemic,” said Walgreen Co. President John Standley. “Since the onset of the pandemic, Walgreens has worked closely with the CDC, HHS and the Administration to help accelerate the availability of COVID tests, ensure access to essential medicines and products and serve as a safe and trusted source of information in our communities. We are proud of how our pharmacists have continued to serve our patients and look forward to leveraging our nationwide footprint, community presence and pharmacist expertise to help administer COVID-19 vaccines, once they become available.”
Additionally, to maximize access to COVID-19 vaccines for all Americans, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also announced the U.S. government’s partnerships with large chain pharmacies and networks that represent independent pharmacies and regional chains. CVS Health and Walgreen Co. are among the list of chain and community-pharmacies networks that have signed on. Through the partnership with pharmacy chains, this program covers approximately 60 percent of pharmacies throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The partnerships with network administrators, independent pharmacies and regional chains will also be part of the federal pharmacy program, further increasing access to vaccine across the country—particularly in traditionally underserved areas.
By working with these partners, the federal government will rapidly expand access to COVID-19 vaccines. A vaccine will be administered at partners’ pharmacy locations at no cost to patients. This pharmacy partnership is being established in anticipation that one or more COVID-19 vaccines will be authorized or approved and recommended for use in the United States before the end of 2020.
To learn more about the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, please visit the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services site: hhs.gov.