Thousands of Tri-Citians receive a COVID vaccine. These clinics are preparing to give more

Tri-Cities Community Health is among local agencies preparing to help meet the demand for COVID-19 vaccines as the state makes plans to move to immunizing the next group of Washington state residents eligible.

People 70 and older and people 50 or older who live in multigenerational households — such as a grandparent living with a grandchild — could begin to receive the vaccine by the end of the month, if doses are available.

Those people are in Phase 1B of the vaccination effort, with the state currently allowing the vaccination of people who have health care jobs, first responders and those who live or work in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes.

“We are eager to pick up the pace to get vaccine to people who need them,” the Washington state Department of Health said in a statement last week.

Washington state’s online PhaseFinder tool was set to officially launch Monday, Jan. 18, but appeared to have gone live as early as last Friday. Go to FindYourPhaseWA.org.

State residents must answer questions about themselves — including age, health conditions and employment — to be notified when they are eligible for the vaccine and to receive a list of locations that might have doses available.

Pharmacies, doctor’s offices and clinics are expected to have the vaccine available as more people become eligible and as more vaccine arrives. The Benton Franklin Health District also is working with at least one larger health care organization to make sure everyone can find a place.

The Walla Walla County Department of Community Health has announced it is planning a mass vaccination clinic at the Walla Walla County fairgrounds.

It could be offering shots as soon as the first weeks of February and continue for several months. It is working in cooperation with local health care providers, including Providence St. Mary Medical Center.

In addition, Gov. Jay Inslee was scheduled at 3 p.m. Monday to unveil a new statewide public-private partnership for the state’s vaccine distribution plan.

Tri-Cities Community Health

At least 20 Tri-City area health care agencies have been approved to give the vaccine, with more applications in process.

Tri-Cities Community Health already has received 3,200 doses of the Moderna COVID vaccine and has administered about 700 shots.

It has been fortunate as some similar federally designated community health centers in the state have yet to receive any vaccine, said Jim Davis, chief executive officer of Tri-Cities Community Health.

Not only has it administered vaccines to its own staff — about 220 doses — but it also has been vaccinating health care workers whose employers do not have the vaccine.

The Benton Franklin Health District has been referring health care agencies to it.

To date Tri-Cities Community Health has vaccinated workers at 160 other agencies, some with as few as one or two health care workers getting the shots and others with up 100 workers.

It has been offering the vaccine to health care workers at its clinic at 715 W. Court St., Pasco, but is expanding the service to its clinics at 3180 W. Clearwater Ave. in Kennewick and 829 Goethals Dr., Richland.

Once more people are eligible, it may increase clinic hours, staying open evenings or weekends, Davis said.

It will release more information on how to get a vaccine at its clinics as the state of Washington moves to the next phase of vaccine eligibility.

It also has formed a partnership with the nursing program at Columbia Basin College, which will give its clinics some extra help from nursing students who need experience administering immunizations.

“It’s all intended to get as many doses administered as we can,” Davis said.

The Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic also is preparing to offer the vaccine at its clinics, which include Tri-Cities locations.

People who want the vaccine can sign up on its website to get information about when the COVID-19 vaccine will be more broadly available. Go to bit.ly/YVFWCcovid.

Vaccine interest

Tri-Cities Community Health clinics, like the local health district, already is getting many calls from people interested in receiving the vaccine.

“It is very, very heartening there is that much interest in being vaccinate,” Davis said.

Compared to those who do not want the COVID vaccine, “a much, much larger percentage want the vaccine,” he said.

Tri-Cities Community Health has not mandated that its employees receive the shots, but strongly recommends it. So far about two-thirds of the staff have chosen to be vaccinated, he said.

Some staff have taken a “wait and see” attitude, Davis said.

“What we are trying to do for those who might be hesitant is to have them see a larger and larger number of their colleagues who have received the vaccine and not had any ill effects,” he said.

Trios Health in Kennewick and Lourdes Health in Pasco report being pleased by the response of its employees and medical staff as it offers them the COVID vaccine.

It is not mandatory, but “we strongly encourage everyone to get vaccinated to help our hospital and provider practices become even safer for those we serve — and for one another,” said Tina Baumgardner, spokeswoman for Trios and Lourdes hospitals and clinics.

More Tri-Cities vaccinations

Trios Health has received 700 does to date and administered 410 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

Lourdes Health has received 975 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and all doses have been administered, Baumgardner said.

Some of the vaccine shipment to Lourdes was used to vaccinate first responders and some school nurses and teachers who work with special needs students, Baumgardner said.

Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland has not said how many doses it has received and administered, but was among the first to receive shipments in the Tri-Cities.

“We are encouraged by how much interest there is from the community in also getting vaccinated,” said Emily Volland, Kadlec spokeswoman, as it waits for more people to become eligible to be vaccinated.

HPMC Occupational Medical Services at the Hanford nuclear reservation is one of seven agencies in Benton and Franklin counties to have received doses of the COVID vaccine.

It received 100 doses that it’s using to immunize its staff and the first responders on the Hanford site, who are employees of Mission Support Alliance.

The Benton Franklin Health District also has been vaccinating its staff.

Nursing and other long-term care homes residents 65 and older are working with CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, which have a federal government contract, to get their staff and residents vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The Washington state Department of Health said last week that the the federal pharmacy program for long-term care facilities is making progress.

The first round for skilled nursing facilities started Dec. 28 and was expected to be completed Sunday, Jan. 17, with the first round for all other facilities Jan. 4-24, the Department of Health said.

As of Monday, Jan. 11, agencies in Benton and Franklin counties had been allocated 14,300 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Department of Health said on Friday.

The Department of Health said Wednesday that it had received 624,975 doses of the vaccine and expected to receive another 123,275 dose that week. As of the first day of last week, 201,660 doses had been administered.

It is working toward providing vaccine updates online three times a week.

This story was originally published January 18, 2021 at 11:58 AM.