As most of you are aware, Turenne PharMedCo is not able to distribute H1N1 Vaccine. Federal distribution guidelines only make it available to pharmacies who are also healthcare providers; that is, they physically administer the vaccine to the patient.
In Alabama, the vaccine is available to healthcare providers through the Alabama Department of Public Health. Medical staff for your facility may log on to www.adph.org and register to administer the vaccine as it is made available.
In Tennessee, the vaccine is available through the Tennessee Department of Health. As in Alabama, medical providers should log on to the TDH website at www.health.state.tn.us/h1n1.htm for information on how to obtain the vaccine.
Because the H1N1 vaccine is coming out at such a slow rate, the CDC and the state departments of public health have established a priority list for vaccination. It is NOT the same as the recommended vaccination schedule for seasonal influenza.
Skilled Nursing Home and Assisted Living residents ARE NOT on the priority list for H1N1 vaccination.
Healthcare workers ARE on this list and should be vaccinated as early as possible. This includes those personnel who work in the long-term care environment.
2009-2010 SEASONAL & H1N1 FLU VACCINE PRIORITY GROUPS
SEASONAL FLU
H1N1
Children, aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
Pregnant women
People 50 years of age and older
People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
Healthcare workers
Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
Household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
Pregnant women
Household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age
Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel
Children from 6 months through 18 years of age
Young adults 19 through 24 years of age
Persons aged 25 through 64 years with health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza
Note: Bolded patient groups are designated priority groups for BOTH H1N1 vaccine and seasonal vaccine.
For more information on H1N1 vaccine, please contact your Turenne PharMedCo pharmacy at 1-866-710-PMCO (7626).
We at Turenne PharMedCo greatly appreciate your business and take enormous pride in providing your pharmacy service in a dependable and timely manner. We would like to take this opportunity to bring you up to date on the issues at hand with the 2009/2010 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine.
Delivery of the 2009/2010 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine shipments was delayed to all long term care pharmacy providers due to the manufacturers’ focus on H1N1 vaccine production. Another impact on delivery was the early start to the vaccination season, which historically begins in mid-October.
As a result, we did not receive our pre-booked shipment of 4,720 doses from our distributor.
Most of you were contacted personally and offered the opportunity to schedule influenza clinics for your residents and staff through a third party provider. Several of you took advantage of this opportunity.
Next, we found an alternative source and were able to obtain 2,920 doses of the seasonal flu vaccine, which was just enough to cover the current censuses in your facilities.
While we continue to search out sources for this very important vaccine, it has become apparent that we will not be able to make up the remaining 1,800± doses originally ordered. Most of the major manufacturers shifted their production facilities to provide H1N1 vaccine to meet the current health crisis.
In order to provide innoculation for your staffs, we can only suggest seeking out large retail pharmacy chains that may still have vaccine, or contacting a flu clinic provider. As the situation continues to evolve, we will work hard to keep you up-to-date.
For more information on seasonal influenza vaccine, please contact your Turenne PharMedCo pharmacy at 1-866-710-PMCO (7626).
