SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Department of Health announced on Monday that it is turning to three major health care providers to expand the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines in the state starting this week, in anticipation of a jump in assigned vaccines.
Intermountain Healthcare, Nomi Health, and University of Utah Health will all help vaccinate Utahns under the agreement with the state.
“These partners will expand our reach across the state. They will be able to provide large-scale vaccination clinics in some areas where we currently cannot,” said Tom Hudachko, spokesman for the Utah Department of Health. “They’ve built relationships with many state residents who have underlying medical conditions, so we’ll rely on them to help with those populations.”
Officials from all three health care providers said on Monday that they also plan to expand their vaccination efforts to sites in Utah starting this week to address the growing number of vaccines to Beehive State.
Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain announced seven locations where Utahns eligible for 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
- The Orthopedic Special Hospital (TOSH) in Murray
- Utah Valley Hospital
All seven locations will offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week, said Dr. Kristin Dascomb, medical director of infection prevention for employee health at Intermountain Healthcare. Utah Valley Hospital will also provide the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.
Anyone eligible for the vaccine can make an appointment through the Intermountain website. Anyone with questions is encouraged to call 887-777-7061.
Nomi Health
Nomi Health reached an agreement with Larry H. Miller Group to run vaccination clinics at Megaplex Theaters in parts of Utah.
Their clinics are active and 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, Nomi Health’s medical director, said the organization plans to add a location in Centerville starting Thursday and more locations closer to Logan next week.
It also has the ability to operate “pop-up clinics” with the capacity to distribute 250 vaccines per day through that method, she said. Those locations will be determined through agreements with the county’s health departments.
Utahns eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine can register to get one from Nomi Health through a webpage set up by the state. Anyone who needs help registering online can call 801-704-5911, Steely added.
U. of Utah Health
University of Utah Health can currently vaccinate people in two locations:
- University of Utah Hospital located 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, chief medical officer at Ambulatory Health at the University of Utah.
Anyone who qualifies for the vaccine based on medical records must have received an invitation to make an appointment in their MyChart account. The health care provider also tried to distribute invitations via email, text messages and phone calls, Orlandi said.
According to the state health department, about 10% of the total state population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. The partnerships announced Monday will not replace the existing vaccine rollout locations announced by local health departments or at various pharmacies across the state.
Monday’s announcement was made because the first doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would arrive in Utah this week. The Utah Department of Health expects 122,000 total first and second vaccine doses to arrive this week, adding doses from the new drug manufacturer.
Hudachko said the health department expects their allocation of the best Moderna vaccines to double next week and that of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to “more than double,” as both drug manufacturers have increased their offerings.
This story is being updated.