powered by LeadingAge New York
  1. Home
  2. » Topics
  3. » Coronavirus Resources
  4. » Vaccination Information
  5. » State and Federal Government Roll Out COVID-19 Vaccination Plans

State and Federal Government Roll Out COVID-19 Vaccination Plans

Health care workers and high-risk populations are prioritized for a future COVID-19 vaccine distribution. The state and federal government are implementing plans to get these populations signed up for programs to arrange receipt and administration of the vaccine once available. LeadingAge NY received new details regarding the State program. Below is information about both programs and their interplay. The plans are slightly different, with the federal plan being targeted to a broader population.

It is important to note that while this planning is critical to ensure a swift process once the vaccination is available, details will surely evolve. This is the best information we have at this moment.

New York Vaccination Plan

LeadingAge NY had a call with representatives from the Governor’s Office and the Department of Health (DOH) to learn more about the State’s vaccination distribution plan, once the vaccination is available. It is important to note that New York City (NYC) will be developing its own distribution plan, and therefore the State’s plan does not apply to providers within the five boroughs. We believe that there will be an NYC-specific webinar on Mon., Nov. 2nd at 1 p.m.; we will share more information with members when this is confirmed and webinar information is available. There will be coordination with the State and City programs. It is also important to note that the State program currently is focusing on adult care facility (ACF)/assisted living (AL) and skilled nursing facility (SNF) providers. We inquired about home care and hospice providers, and they are under consideration; however, congregate settings that house older adults and vulnerable populations are a higher priority than community settings for COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

Below is a summary of the highlights provided; however, we urge ACF/AL and SNF providers to participate in a webinar scheduled for Wed. Oct. 28th at noon to obtain more information.

Webinar access information:

https://meetny.webex.com/meetny/onstage/g.php?MTID=e2055d7e377a9b89d5a10de57b300e48e

Call 844-512-2950; Access code 8176048

The State will be getting vaccine supplies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in phases that it will distribute to providers, pharmacies, and others. New York has established an advisory group to review safety and efficacy information regarding the vaccine. Health care personnel and residents of long term care facilities (including ACF/AL settings) are prioritized for distribution in Phase 1. Under the State's plan, long term care facility workers who interact with residents and at-risk long term care facility residents are targeted for the first phase of distribution.

In order to participate in this distribution, facilities will need to enroll in the State’s program. DOH has sent nursing homes and ACFs an enrollment letter and resources, which can be accessed here. DOH advises all nursing homes and ACFs to enroll in the State’s program to enable facilities to order and receive vaccines if they need them.

At this time, DOH does not know whether staff will be mandated to get immunized.

Federal Plan

The CDC announced the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, a program to offer on-site COVID-19 vaccination services for residents of SNFs and AL. There has been some discussion regarding independent senior housing and affordable senior housing providers signing up as well; click here for more information. It has been noted that facility staff who have not already received the vaccine may also be vaccinated as part of this program; however, the primary purpose is to get vaccines to residents.

The CDC is partnering with CVS and Walgreens to provide the vaccines, on-site vaccination of residents, and end-to-end management of the COVID-19 vaccination process, including storage, handling, cold chain management, and fulfillment of reporting requirements, at no cost to the facility. The CDC is asking providers to sign up and select a pharmacy (or opt out) by midnight Oct. 30th. Nursing homes may make their selection through the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) here, and AL facilities may make their selection here. Upon signing up, facilities will be asked which pharmacy partner they prefer. Facilities may change their decision to participate and opt in or out via email after the online survey closes.

This program is only for CVS and Walgreens. If a provider wants to use a different pharmacy, that pharmacy would have to follow all the requirements regarding storage, reporting, etc. We encourage members to talk with their pharmacy partners about their ability to meet the requirements and note that you can sign up for the federal program and then opt out later.

More information about the CDC program is available here and here. For more information, contact the program here.

Interaction Between the Two Programs

It is our understanding that the vaccines will be provided at no cost to providers; however, individual insurance may be billed. Facilities may enroll in both the State program and the CDC program. Despite the duplicative effort, the State encourages providers to enroll in all vaccination systems that are available to them to ensure access. The federal and State systems use different systems for registration, but the questions posed in the process are largely the same, with the State adding a few. More information about the CDC program and the State vaccine distribution plan is available here.

Contacts: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, and Karen Lipson, klipson@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383