News

Contact: Mindy Warner

The first phase of Missouri's high throughput vaccine distribution will include Liberty Hospital, North Kansas City Hospital and Truman Medical Centers as vaccinators in the Kansas City region. In the Northland, Operation Safe evolved from Operation Safe Community, a coalition of community partners formed to mobilize for mass vaccine distribution.

In addition to Liberty Hospital, Operation Safe partners include North Kansas City Hospital; Clay County Public Health Center; Cerner; the cities of Liberty, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Kearney, Excelsior Springs, Smithville, Pleasant Valley and Claycomo; William Jewell College; and the Liberty and North Kansas City school districts. Moving forward, additional partners may join this group.

As information becomes available on how to sign up, where to receive vaccines and more, it will be announced at www.clayhealth.com/covidvaccine.

Below is the statewide news release regarding distribution.

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – The availability of COVID-19 vaccine continues to be the leading factor limiting vaccination of the more than 2 million remaining Missourians currently eligible according to Missouri’s priority phases. Missouri’s interagency vaccine planning team has selected hospitals within all regions of the state who will be receiving just over half of the state’s weekly vaccine allocation through the month of February. Federal partners are responsible for the state’s total allocation, which is currently approximately 76,000 doses per week, and the state is responsible for determining allocations of that allotment among providers enrolled as COVID-19 vaccinators and requesting vaccine.

“We are committed to fairly allocating doses in regions throughout the state and working with vaccinators to ensure efficient administration of the vaccine,” said Governor Mike Parson. “Our partnership with the selected hospitals will help provide the consistency needed for effective planning of high-volume vaccine clinics to occur at the local level.”

The decision, announced today, is focused on the first of the selected hospitals, in each region of the state, identified as having the capability to administer 5,000 vaccines per week. Actual allocations for each selected hospital will be proportional to regional population. Weekly vaccine delivery from the federal allocation will rotate between the groups of identified hospitals and partners shown below to reduce the burden on individual organizations and extend the geographic reach of the effort.

“The hospitals included in the first phase of this plan were selected for their ability to rapidly begin community vaccination efforts on a large scale,” said Herb B. Kuhn, MHA President and CEO. “Beginning today — and continuing as vaccines arrive in the days and weeks ahead — hospitals will be sharing how community members can sign up for their vaccine.”

In the region that includes the Kansas City area the designated hospitals are Liberty Hospital, North Kansas City Hospital and Truman Medical Centers.

While the state is committing about 53 percent of weekly allocations to selected hospitals, approximately 23 percent will be devoted to regional mass vaccination events in partnership with local vaccine implementation teams and the Missouri National Guard. Eight percent will be allocated to local public health agencies, and another 8 percent will be received by federally qualified health centers. The remaining 8 percent will go to any other enrolled providers, or “community providers,” requesting vaccine.

As the vaccine supply increases, all hospitals and community providers who have the interest and capability will be engaged to ensure successful mass vaccine delivery efforts in Missouri. Hospitals not selected as high throughput vaccinators at this time fall into the community provider category and may request vaccine through the established process through the Department of Health and Senior Services. Several regional entities not included in the list as high throughput vaccinators do have the ability to vaccinate thousands of people per week; however, the constrained supply only allows for so many to have this weekly commitment from the state.

“Our plan continues to remain focused on saving lives and fair distribution to ensure accessibility no matter where in the state you live,” said Dr. Randall Williams, Department of Health and Senior Services Director. “We believe this approach will help safely get vaccines in arms throughout the state as efficiently as possible.”

For more information, visit www.MOStopsCovid.com.