SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Department of Health announced on Monday that it is turning to three major health care providers to help expand the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in the state starting this week, before an increase in vaccines distributed.
Intermountain Healthcare, Nomi Health and the University of Utah Health will help vaccinate Utahns under the state agreement.
“These partners will increase our reach across the state. They will be able to offer large-scale vaccination clinics in some areas where we currently cannot do this,” said Tom Hudachko, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Health. “They have established relationships with many residents in the state who have underlying medical conditions, so we will be counting on them to help with these populations.”
Officials from all three health care providers said on Monday that they also plan to expand their vaccination efforts to locations in Utah starting this week to deal with the growing number of vaccines targeted at Beehive State.
Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain has announced seven locations where Utahns qualified to receive the vaccine can schedule a vaccination appointment. They are:
- Logan Regional Hospital
- McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden
- Park City Hospital
- Riverton Hospital
- St. George Regional Medical Center
- Murray Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (TOSH)
- Utah Valley Hospital
All seven locations will offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week, said Dr. Kristin Dascomb, medical director of infection prevention for the health of Intermountain Healthcare employees. Utah Valley Hospital will also supply the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Anyone eligible for the vaccine can make an appointment by visiting the Intermountain website. Anyone with questions is encouraged to call 887-777-7061.
Nomi Health
Nomi Health has reached an agreement with Larry H. Miller Group to maintain vaccination clinics at Megaplex theaters in parts of Utah.
Its operating clinics include Megaplex locations in:
- Lehi, Utah County: 2935 N. Thanksgiving Way
- Vineyard, Utah County: 600 N. Mill Road
- West Valley City, Salt Lake County: 3601 S. 2400 West
- South Jordan, Salt Lake County: 3761 W. Parkway Plaza Drive
Dr. June Steely, medical director of Nomi Health, said the organization plans to add a location in Centerville starting on Thursday and more locations near Logan next week.
It also has the ability to host “pop-up clinics” with the capacity to distribute 250 vaccines a day using this method, she said. These locations will be determined through agreements with county health departments.
Utahns who qualify for the COVID-19 vaccine can register to obtain one from Nomi Health through a state-created Web page. Anyone who needs help registering online can call 801-704-5911, added Steely.
Utah USA Health
The University of Utah Health can currently vaccinate people in two locations:
- University of Utah Hospital near the university campus in Salt Lake City
- Redwood Health Center at 1525 W. 2100 South in Salt Lake City
The organization plans to expand locations to health centers in Farmington, South Jordan and Sugar House next week, according to Dr. Richard Orlandi, medical director of Ambulatory Health at the University of Utah.
Anyone who is eligible to receive the vaccine based on medical records must have received an invitation to make an appointment in their MyChart account. The healthcare provider was also trying to extend e-mail invitations, text messages and phone calls, said Orlandi.
About 10% of the total population of the state received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the state health department. The partnerships announced on Monday will not replace existing vaccine distribution locations, such as those announced by local health departments or at various pharmacies across the state.
Monday’s announcement came when the first doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were due to arrive in Utah this week. The Utah Department of Health expects 122,000 first and second doses of vaccine to arrive this week, adding doses from the new drug maker.
Hudachko said the health department expects to see its distribution of leading modern vaccines double next week and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to “more than double” because both drug manufacturers have increased their supply.
This story will be updated.