COVID-19 Vaccinations of Premier Health Workers

By Mary Boosalis, president and CEO, Premier Health; Barbara Johnson, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Premier Health

A multidisciplinary COVID-19 vaccine planning team within Premier Health has been meeting since October to prepare for this process. The group has been focused on ensuring the necessary vaccination storage and associated supplies are in place, setting priorities for how the vaccine is administered, and determining logistics for how vaccinations will take place.

During the week of Dec. 20, Premier Health front-line health care workers received 5,900 doses of COVID-19 vaccinations from Moderna. The vaccination will be voluntary for Premier Health employees at this time. However, we encourage staff and providers to take the vaccine when it is available to them as a preventive measure.

In keeping with guidance from the State of Ohio, we will be prioritizing individuals who routinely work in areas designated higher risk that provide direct patient care, support, or interaction with patients with COVID-19.

The hospital pharmacy clinics will provide employees and providers with the first dose of a two-dose vaccination. The first shot will be administered through clinics scheduled for late December and early January. Four weeks after initial doses are administered, we expect to begin administering the second dose of the vaccine. It will continue to be necessary for everyone to take precautions to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, such as proper masking, social distancing, appropriate use of personal protective equipment, etc. This is because the vaccine does not provide immediate immunity.

You will receive an email from Premier Health Communications with further instructions about scheduling your vaccine, should you choose to be vaccinated. Please be patient. All members of our workforce who choose to be vaccinated will have the opportunity to be vaccinated.

We are making progress – as a society, as a region, and as a health care system – in overcoming COVID-19. In the meantime, thank you again for working through the daily challenges brought on by this pandemic to provide the best care possible to our patients.

Back to the December 2020 issue of Premier Pulse