SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Department of Health announced Monday that it will turn to three major health care providers to help expand the launch of COVID-19 vaccines in the state starting this week before a jump of assigned vaccines.
Intermountain Healthcare, Nomi Health and the University of Utah Health will help vaccinate Utahns as agreed with the state.
“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 so,” said Tom Hudachko, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Health. “They have established relationships with many residents of the state who have underlying medical conditions, so we will rely on them to help with these populations.”
Officials from the three health care providers said Monday they also plan to expand their vaccination efforts to locations across Utah starting this week to address the growing number of vaccines targeting the hive state.
Intermountain health care
Intermountain announced seven sites where Utahns who meet the requirements to receive the vaccine can schedule an appointment to get vaccinated. They are:
- Logan Regional Hospital
- McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden
- Park City Hospital
- Riverton Hospital
- Sant Jordi Regional Medical Center
- Murray Specialized Orthopedic Hospital (TOSH)
- Utah Valley Hospital
The 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 provide the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Anyone eligible for the vaccine can make an appointment by going to the Intermountain website. It is recommended that anyone with questions call 887-777-7061.
Nomi Health
Nomi Health reached an agreement with the Larry H. Miller group to hold vaccination clinics at Megaplex theaters in different parts of Utah.
Its operating clinics include Megaplex locations in:
- Lehi, Utah County: 2935 N. Thanksgiving
- 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
June Steely, medical director of Nomi Health, 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 have “emerging clinics” with the ability to distribute 250 vaccines a day using this method, he said. These locations will be determined through agreements with county health departments.
Utahns who meet the requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine can register to obtain one from Nomi Health through a state-created website. Anyone who needs help registering online can call 801-704-5911, Steely added.
U. Health Utah
Currently, the University of Utah Health can vaccinate people in two places:
- University of Utah Hospital near the Salt Lake City University campus
- Redwood Health Center at 1525 W. 2100 south of Salt Lake City
The organization plans to expand locations to Farmington, South Jordan and Sugar House health centers next week, according to Dr. Richard Orlandi, chief physician of outpatient health at the University of Utah.
Anyone who meets the requirements to receive the vaccine based on medical records should have received an invitation to set up an appointment in their MyChart account. Orlandi said the health care provider was also trying to extend invitations by email, text messages and phone calls.
About 10 percent of the state’s total population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the state health department. Associations announced Monday will not replace existing vaccine deployment locations, such as those announced by local health departments or at various state pharmacies.
Monday’s announcement was made as the first doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were expected to arrive in Utah this week. The Utah Department of Health expected 122,000 total doses of first and second vaccine to arrive this week, adding doses from the new drug maker.
Hudachko said the health department expects to see its allocation of Modern vaccines first doubled next week and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines “more than double” because the two drug manufacturers have increased their supply.
This story will be updated.