Bay Area counties will be able to maintain local control over the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine under a new agreement with the state, ending weeks of bitter negotiations with Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration after hiring Blue Shield to oversee the supply of the California vaccine.
Santa Clara County and the state on Wednesday signed a contract that will allow the county to continue providing vaccines to local community clinics and continue to use the county’s own nomination application system instead of switching to the state’s My Turn program , which has been plagued by technical difficulties.
Other counties in the bay area – including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco and San Mateo – have received the same agreement, the California Department of Public Health confirmed. Earlier this week, Los Angeles County signed a similar agreement.
San Mateo hopes to sign the agreement, while Marin, San Francisco and Contra Costa counties say they are still considering the proposal. Alameda and Napa did not immediately answer a question about whether they signed the contract.
The agreement closes weeks of uncertainty about the distribution of the vaccine, which has been marked by poor communication and poor supply. State and federal officials have promised that more supplies are on the horizon in April, and that all adults will be eligible for a vaccine by May.
“I think we all want the same thing,” said Santa Clara County supervisor, Cindy Chavez, “which is to ensure that everyone can be vaccinated and that we have an eye on equity.”
Counties have refused to hand over control to Blue Shield, which the state has entered into a no-bid agreement worth up to $ 15 million in refunds to help decide where and how the vaccine should be allocated across California. Although counties still have to work with Blue Shield, they will not have to sign a contract directly with the insurance giant.
“What we were concerned about was if everyone had a direct contract with Blue Shield, that we would have to go through Blue Shield to talk to the state. Blue Shield and the county are going to talk to the state together, ”said Chávez.
Santa Clara County was attacked recently after an apparent lack of communication forced the county to cancel thousands of second-dose appointments earlier this month and redirect patients to Kaiser, who said the confusion forced him to limit his own appointments. Will the end of the impasse mean better distribution and more vaccines? This is still unclear. The federal government – not the state – controls the supply chain, and California will continue to determine how much each county receives. But the new agreements should put everyone on the same page, which can ease distribution problems.
William Padula, professor of pharmaceutical economics and health at USC, applauded the counties for speaking up to say “hey, don’t forget the little one here”, but, he warned, “if the state or the governor’s office is recommending another player , particularly a private party (like Blue Shield), is another way for them to say that we are not equipped to do this ourselves. “
Blue Shield CEO Paul Markovich said earlier this month that the company could help improve California’s distribution system by better monitoring where the vaccine is at all times, pointing out that before entering, the state lacked accurate knowledge current stock of vaccines.
The deal is good news for smaller community clinics that rely on counties for both vaccine supply and logistical support. Some clinics feared they would not be able to continue vaccinating people. But under the newly signed agreement, they can continue to work with the counties.
“It is important because we need flexibility and agility on the ground,” said Chávez.
Santa Clara County executive Jeff Smith agreed, saying he would preserve vaccine options for residents.
“This means that you can get your vaccine at your community clinic or provider without the provider having to go through an individual allocation process,” said Smith.
With local control over vaccine distribution, said Smith, the county can “focus our vaccine distribution on specific underserved populations and communities.”
For example, Santa Clara County has partnered with Gardner Health Services and other nonprofit organizations to vaccinate low-income and hard-hit residents in East San Jose. Under the new agreement, Gardner may continue to receive the county’s vaccine.
“On the ground, we are seeing the world a little differently,” said Chávez. “We have many small pipelines that we don’t want to lose.”
Some health care providers working in several counties, such as Kaiser and Sutter, will work directly with Blue Shield to receive the vaccine. Stanford has also signed an agreement with Blue Shield, although it has also partnered with counties in the past to offer vaccines.
Smith said “it is not yet known” whether suppliers like Stanford will receive all vaccines through the state and Blue Shield or whether they will continue to receive vaccines from the counties. “This is going to be with them.”
Come back to learn more about this development story.