FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 29, 2020
Newman Regional Health Receives Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
(Emporia, KS) — Newman Regional Health received its second COVID-19 vaccine supply on Monday, December 28, 2020. Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) allocated 300 doses of Moderna vaccine based on the hospital’s response to a recent Kansas Hospital Association (KHA) survey of health care workers in the facility that remained to be vaccinated.
Statewide vaccine allocations remain very limited, resulting in the inability to meet all Kansas hospital needs at once. KDHE continues to prioritize doses to be delivered until the needs of all Kansas hospitals are met. Newman Regional Health is one of the first hospitals in Kansas to receive the Moderna vaccine, which received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday, December 18, 2020. According to KDHE’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan, 49,000 Moderna doses were scheduled to arrive in Kansas the week of December 21, 2020.
Monday’s delivery of the Moderna vaccine included 30 vials at a controlled freezer temperature and will remain stored at that temperature (-13° to 5°F) until ready to be administered. Each vial contains 10 doses of vaccine. The Moderna vaccine is one of two currently approved vaccines by the FDA to prevent COVID-19 and includes two separate doses to be given 28 days apart. Pfizer’s vaccine doses are intended to be given 21 days apart.
“We have been guaranteed with both vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, that we would not receive the first round of doses without having the second round already allocated to us,” said Ashley Edwards, Director of Pharmacy at Newman Regional Health. “As soon as we are administering the first dose, health care workers are being scheduled that same day for their second dose.”
On December 16, Newman Regional Health received an initial allocation of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine which was administered to 169 staff members in just over two days. Beginning Tuesday, January 5, the latest Moderna vaccine allocation will be administered to the remaining Newman Regional Health staff members who have signed up to be vaccinated. Remaining doses will begin being administered to other local health care workers in the community. In accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for a phased vaccination plan, other healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities have also started to receive the Moderna vaccine from Flint Hills Community Health Center and local pharmacies.
Newman Regional Health and Lyon County Public Health continue to collaborate as allocations of vaccine become known and a vaccination plan for the Lyon County community is carried out.
“It is exciting to receive our second shipment of COVID-19 vaccine and further progress our community in the prevention of this disease,” said Ashley. “With this allocation, we are another step closer to collaborating together with our local community partners to vaccinate the healthcare team members not only in our facility but in our community, as well. We are working hard to progress through the first phase of our community vaccination plan and look forward to receiving additional doses to further protect our community members.”
About Newman Regional Health: Newman Regional Health is a not-for-profit 25-bed Critical Access Hospital owned by the citizens of Lyon County, Kansas. Recognized as a Level 4 Trauma Center, Newman Regional Health provides inpatient acute and medical rehabilitation services along with a full range of emergency and outpatient care to patients of all ages in Lyon County and surrounding areas in East Central Kansas. Newman Regional Health offers 24/7 care with a newly renovated, state-of-the-art 19-bed emergency room and 10-bed Clinical Decision Unit. With a mission to improve health in the community by providing high quality care and a vision to be a valued, trusted partner and regional provider of exemplary services, Newman Regional Health receives recognition as a top Critical Access Hospital each year.
Newman Regional Health
Business Development
1201 West 12th Avenue
Emporia, KS 66801
(620) 343-6800 x22524
www.newmanrh.org