How Jurisdictions Can Ensure COVID-19 Vaccine Access for Staff and Residents in Long-term Care Settings

State and local health departments play a critical role to ensure all long-term care (LTC) settings have the vaccine access and support they need. It is important to build confidence in COVID-19 vaccines while also ensuring access to these vaccines, including boosters.

LTC administrators and managers should contact their state or local health department’s immunization program for assistance [3 pages] if they are having difficulties arranging COVID-19 vaccination for their residents and staff.

• If you are a state, territorial, or local health department contacted by a provider in an LTC setting: Review the options for coordinating access to COVID-19 vaccines with them, and provide vaccination services through your immunization program, if needed.
• CDC is available as a safety net support if your immunization program is unable to connect an LTC setting with a vaccine provider.

Vaccination in the Local Community

LTC providers should let residents and staff know that they can receive a COVID-19 vaccine, including an updated (bivalent) booster, at an existing vaccination site, such as a nearby pharmacy or healthcare provider’s office.

• Visit vaccines.gov to find COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
• LTC residents and staff should bring their vaccination cards with them to their COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
• If LTC residents attend a day program, visit a senior center, or participate in a congregate nutrition program, LTC administrators and managers should check to see if those programs are offering on-site COVID-19 vaccinations, specifically those needed by individual LTC residents seeking vaccination.

Vaccination On-Site

For some residents and staff, receiving vaccinations on-site in the LTC setting where they reside and are comfortable may be the best option.

• LTC administrators and staff should contact their long-term care pharmacy, local retail pharmacy, or other vaccine provider to arrange for an on-site vaccination clinic.
• LTC administrators and managers may request vaccination support from a pharmacy partner enrolled in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. See Connecting Long-Term Care Settings with Federal Pharmacy Partners for links and contact information.

• If LTC settings have already explored the options above to coordinate access to COVID-19 vaccines for their residents and staff and still need assistance, their next step should be to reach out to the state or local immunization program [3 pages] for assistance.
• If the jurisdictional immunization program is unable to connect an LTC setting with a vaccine provider, CDC can help jurisdictions access this support.

Many jurisdictions have found the following practices helpful when coordinating access to COVID-19 vaccines for residents and staff in LTC settings:

• Proactively connect with LTC settings to determine their vaccine access needs and whether they have identified pharmacy partners to support their site.
• Use available support systems to identify and reach LTC settings in your state (Medicaid programs, nursing associations, senior care organizations, local chapters of LTC organizations, and licensing and certification organizations).
• Engage pharmacy partners to understand the challenges around providing updated (bivalent) boosters for residents and staff in LTC settings, such as determining ideal vaccination timing for staff and residents who were vaccinated at different times or who may need help in planning for when to be vaccinated to stay up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccines.
• Consider vaccine “strike teams” (or a small team that can go to a location and administer COVID-19 vaccines) to provide additional, more focused support, such as providing vaccination to difficult-to-reach sites.