Deadline for Enrollment in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program Is Oct. 30th
The Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program (the "vaccination program") has been established by the federal government to provide “end-to-end management of the COVID-19 vaccination process, including cold chain management, on-site vaccinations, and fulfillment of reporting requirements.” The vaccination program is intended to facilitate safe vaccinations of individuals in this population while reducing the burden on long term care facilities and local health departments. It should be noted that the vaccination program is a plan for the distribution of a vaccine that is not yet available and is subject to change.
The vaccination program will operate free of charge to facilities. As part of the program, pharmacies will do the following:
- Schedule and coordinate on-site clinic date(s) directly with each facility. (It is anticipated that three visits over approximately two months will likely be needed to administer both doses of the vaccine.)
- Order vaccines and associated supplies (e.g., syringes, needles, personal protective equipment).
- Ensure cold chain management for vaccine.
- Provide on-site administration of vaccine.
- Report required vaccination data (approximately 20 data fields) to the local, state/territorial, and federal jurisdictions within 72 hours of administering each dose.
- Adhere to all applicable Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) COVID-19 testing requirements for long term care facility staff.
Providers must indicate their interest in participating in the vaccination program by Oct. 30th at 11:59 p.m. ET. Indicating interest in participating does not guarantee inclusion in the final vaccination program. Additionally, indicating interest is non-binding, and facilities may change their selection or opt in or out via email after the online survey closes. (No changes may be made via the online form once the sign-up period has closed.)
Independent living providers should indicate their interest in participating by completing the REDCap survey here. (If your organization has 10 or more independent living sites that you would like to enroll, a bulk entry template is available via the REDCap link. The bulk entry template should be returned to eocevent494@cdc.gov.)
“Independent Living” is a choice on the setting type list in the REDCap survey, but inclusion on this list is not an indicator that independent living will be among prioritized sites. We encourage independent living providers to sign up in REDCap, but you should do so with no firm expectation of prioritization or inclusion in the final vaccination program.
At this time, LeadingAge expects residents of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) to be included in the first priority group for the vaccination program. At this time, but subject to change, affordable independent housing that is not connected to a nursing home, memory unit, or assisted living facility is not likely to be in the first priority group. (This may change, as LeadingAge is advocating that seniors living in low-income housing be prioritized in the vaccination program. Additionally, states have discretion with their vaccine allocations and may choose to include seniors living in low-income housing in their own state top priority group.) “Retirement communities” or “55+” communities are not expected to be included in the first priority group. No independent living provider should assume that they are guaranteed to receive the vaccine if they sign up via REDCap.
Questions about the vaccination program may be directed to eocevent494@cdc.gov.
Additional information about the vaccination program may be found below:
- Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program Overview
- Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- "HHS Provides Answers to LeadingAge Questions on New Vaccine Initiative," LeadingAge, Oct. 23, 2020
Contact: Sara Neitzel, sneitzel@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8835