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Massachusetts health officials plan to stop shipments of some COVID-19 vaccines to several hospitals in western Massachusetts, diverting supplies to super vaccination sites, MassLive has learned.
For a two-week period, Baystate Health, Cooley Dickinson Health Care and Mercy Medical Center will not receive their scheduled first-dose shipments, lawmakers told MassLive. They were informed of the plan during a call with hospital officials.
Patients who have an appointment to receive their second dose will not be affected, lawmakers say.
“I think it’s concerning that we put our trust in most vaccinations in a private non-Massachusetts company instead of our local community hospitals, departments and health boards that people trust,” said the representing Jake Oliveira, a Ludlow Democrat, who was on call.
Representative Mindy Domb, an Amherst Democrat, said the move threatened to make the COVID-19 vaccine less accessible to people aged 75 and over.
“We want to make sure people come and get the shot, that they feel comfortable getting it. We should decentralize the process, not centralize it, ”said Domb, who was also on call. “We have these mass sites where we see the pictures of the 75 and over people waiting in the cold outside.”
Hundreds of Massachusetts residents waited in sub-zero temperatures and snow outside the Eastfield Mall in Springfield to receive their dose of the Pfizer vaccine, MassLive reported Monday. In recent days, a series of changes have been implemented on the site.
When asked about the change, Baystate Health officials said they had not received any official notification from the state.
But Baystate Health President and CEO Mark Keroack said in a statement, “We hope the AD Department of Public Health will provide sufficient vaccine allocations to allow us to honor member appointments. of the community that have been scheduled for the next two weeks.
Officials at the COVID-19 Command Center and Governor Charlie Baker’s office did not respond to MassLive’s inquiries.
Representative Lindsay Sabadosa first heard that Cooley Dickinson could lose her first few doses from a voter who called her office on Thursday. She then jumped on a call with hospital officials.
“We are very upset,” said the Northampton Democrat.
Neither Hampshire County, where Cooley Dickinson is based, nor Franklin County have a super vaccination site. The nearest site is at Eastfield Mall in Springfield, which came under scrutiny this week after hundreds waited in the cold for a vaccine.
Representatives from Curative, the site’s provider, said the folks at MassLive should wait in their cars to avoid congestion and long lines. Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders and Baker made similar suggestions when asked about the long wait for people aged 75 and over.
Massachusetts also has super vaccination sites at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and Fenway Park in Boston. The state plans to launch two new sites at the Natick Mall and at the Circuit City site in Dartmouth.
State Senator Jo Comerford, who along with Domb lobbied for a vaccine fairness bill, called the break in vaccine distribution to hospitals in western Massachusetts a “slap in the face” to residents of West Massachusetts. Hampshire and Franklin counties.
“It is scandalous that in the midst of a pandemic, the hospitals, which train the healthcare professionals we rely on, are being banned from distributing the vaccine, especially in an area like Hampshire and Franklin counties.” , said the Northampton Democrat.
Rep. Paul Mark, a Peruvian Democrat, said he was surprised to learn of the pause in vaccine distribution to hospitals in western Massachusetts.
“Our local Franklin and Hampshire County hospitals have invested time and resources to set up vaccination sites locally, while our area has been ignored by the administration,” he said in a message. . “This new policy does not help our region move forward at all, and it actually seems to be detrimental to the progress that has been made.”
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