Pediatric practices providing COVID-19 vaccine may consider holding a COVID-19 vaccination clinic. Below are information, resources, and tips to help your practice host a successful event. 

There are many considerations to providing COVID-19 vaccine either in the office or during a vaccine clinic. Visit the Administering COVID-19 Vaccine in Pediatric Practice page to learn more about storage, screening/contraindications, consent, supplies and more. Should your practice opt to hold a large-scale vaccination event for COVID-19 vaccine, you may consider the following.

Plan ahead for staffing

The CDC offers a COVID-Vac tool to aid in anticipating staffing and other operational needs associated with offering large-scale vaccination clinics

Liability for vaccinating non-patients

If you are planning to administer vaccines to parents and others from your community, consider discussing liability coverage issues for delivering health care services to adults through a vaccination event with your medical liability insurer. If the event will be held in a separate space or facility, check with the owner as additional coverage may be needed. Other items to consider are obtaining informed consent, knowing contraindications for vaccination, knowing how to treat an adult with an adverse reaction, and documentation of vaccine administration.

Keep in mind that older patients who you are not accustomed to treating may report allergies to medications unfamiliar to pediatric providers – consider familiarizing yourself with potential allergens in the COVID-19 vaccines.

Some vaccine recipients may be on blood thinners – consider screening for this and having them hold pressure on the injection site for at least two minutes.

Consider options for vaccine sign-up

Vaccine recipients should register before coming to a vaccination clinic or event, which will help you determine the right number of staff to schedule. For those using an electronic program to schedule patients for COVID-19 vaccination, you are not required to use a HIPAA-compliant program, but these programs are available if you prefer. While the AAP does not endorse any specific products, some AAP members have previously reported using Jotform and Docusign successfully. Tips related to using an online signup platform include:

  • If you choose to pursue a HIPAA compliant program, sign up as soon as is possible – it may take several days to access the HIPAA server.
  • Take advantage of their features, some of which include:
  • Online data collection helps the staff work on the registrations as time allows. Since staff still are busy with regular clinic, this allows them to log in and process 2-4 registrations here and there.

Some successful vaccination clinics have used a platform they were already paying for, like Docusign, and entered the information gathered in Docusign to their EHR (which was already programmed to upload information to the local immunization information system). Docusign may be a great option for those who are already using it, where Jotform may be more affordable for someone who doesn’t already use such a program.

Other tips/lessons learned

  • Set up a separate email account/phone number, so calls do not tie up your practice phone line. Google offers a free voice account. An old mobile phone with a new SIM card might also work.
  • Rather than waiting for cars to approach a check-in station, have a check in station, but also have a mobile check-in staffer to approach cars in line. This keeps things moving in the case of distracted/slower drivers or people who take longer to check in.
  • Get an aerial map, like from Google maps, to draw out your outdoor clinic plans.

Vaccination Clinic Resources

CDC Guidance for Planning, Vaccination Clinics Held at Satellite, Temporary or Off-Site Locations Use this page for details on:

  • Planning activities (ie, staffing, location, partnerships)
  • Pre-clinic activities (eg, supplies, training, storage and handling, clinic layout, etc)
  • During the clinic activities (eg, general operations, vaccination process, etc)
  • Post-clinic activities (eg, reporting)

Resources for Hosting a Vaccination Clinic Find helpful resources, including

Your state or local public health immunization program may also have a checklist.

Last Updated

08/01/2023

Source

American Academy of Pediatrics