Letter to Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, CDC Director, and Norris Cochran, Acting Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services - Harder Continues Pressure on Feds to Distribute Vaccines to Valley Nursing Homes

Letter

Dear Director Walensky,
I write to you today to express my deep concerns with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's
(CDC) Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program (Program) and urge immediate actions to help
improve and streamline the program for my constituents that rely on it. Federal guidance will be critical,
especially in the coming weeks to ensure that those in our long-term care facilities (LTCF) receive their
COVID-19 vaccines.
My district has the third highest coronavirus deaths per capita in my state1
, with residents of LTCFs
accounting for just five percent of the cases, but a third of total deaths2
. The current spike in cases has
overwhelmed our region's hospitals, rendering them without intensive care unit beds3
. Dozens of local
facilities and health care officials have reached out to my office raising grave frustrations with the lack of
communication and delayed roll-out of the Program to our LTCFs. Despite enrolling in this Program in
November 2020, many of our LTCFs have received zero communications from their facilitating
pharmacy. These facilities are ready to vaccinate residents, but they simply need a supply of vaccines.
If these facilities do not get faster access to the vaccines, but remain at the Program's current rate, it will
cost lives. Further federal support must be provided to better distribute these desperately needed vaccines
to residents in our LTCFs. As the issues with the Program continue to place our LTCFs at risk, I request responses to the following
questions:
1. What immediate options will be provided to our local LTCFs so they can receive a reliable supply
of vaccines?
2. What is the expected timeline to receive vaccines through the Program or other federal support
structures?
3. What accountability measures are in place with the partnership pharmacies, like CVS or
Walgreens, to ensure that the roll-out of the program happens effectively?
4. How will the CDC work with the partnership pharmacies to ensure that they are clearly
communicating with all local LTCFs that have been enrolled in the Program?
Given the extreme consequences around a lack of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, I urge swift action.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter and I look forward to your timely response.

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