Updated vaccines are here, propelling community-based organizations, including federally qualified health centers, into the fall vaccination season two weeks earlier than last year. Amid a current summer wave, the Food and Drug Administration approved the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine on August 22 to target newer variants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone 6 months and older receive an updated flu and COVID-19 vaccine in the fall and winter season.
To better understand how CBOs are pivoting and preparing, Public Good News spoke with Elysia Jordan, vice president of nursing at Mary’s Center, who we spoke with last year about their work reaching diverse communities in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Jordan shared more on what’s changed at her organization since then, and how they’re thinking about outreach this season.
Here’s what she said.
[Editor’s note: The contents of this interview have been edited for length and clarity.]
PGN: Thank you for taking the time to talk with us again. How’s vaccine season prepping going so far?
Elysia Jordan: Yeah, of course. I’m happy to do it. So, this is our pre-ramp-up. For the flu vaccine, we’re preparing our electronic medical record to document it, and getting our schedule together for our employee health flu clinics.
Preparations for the COVID-19 vaccine are moving in the direction of the flu vaccine, where this is not a booster. What you had in the past is irrelevant. To be up to date, you must have the current vaccine.
PGN: The Bridge Access Program is slated to end in just a few days. How will this affect your organization?
E.J.: Honestly, the Bridge Access Program, while it did help, the need at our clinic is so great that it didn’t—for us anyway—cover it all.
We’ve already been purchasing vaccines for our participants who don’t qualify for the Vaccines for Children program and other programs, so that’s already part of our flow.
We’re also trying to do some advocacy work because the cost of vaccines is high for organizations, really high.
PGN: What do vaccines cost community-based organizations like yours?
E.J.: In general, the flu vaccine is pretty inexpensive. It’s probably about $15-$18 per dose. But when we’re talking about COVID-19 vaccines and other adult vaccines like RSV or shingles, I mean, we’re talking about hundreds of dollars per dose.
And, you know, that’s a burden for health centers such as ours.
We do get enhanced reimbursement from Medicaid for being a federally qualified health center (FQHC) but it just doesn’t cover all of the things that we do during the visit.
It’s a hard conversation to have. We spend a lot of money on vaccines but like I said, as an FQHC, it’s really important as folks’ primary care to be a one-stop shop for all of the services that they need, and vaccines are a part of that.
We have to think about ways to adapt and help mitigate our costs but also continue to provide the service that we should be providing.
PGN: Looking back, last year was the first year CBOs had to manage all that comes with COVID-19 vaccine commercialization. Have there been any lessons learned you’ll be applying this upcoming season?
E.J.: I don’t want to speak too soon, but I think we’ve started to settle into a flow a little bit on how these things go. Last year, we moved into this space of COVID-19 vaccine commercialization and also having it be one vaccine a year, so now we’re starting with a bit of a blueprint from last season on how to move forward this season.
Also, last year was the first time that the flu vaccine was required for staff. The COVID-19 vaccine had already been required, so we’re learning from that too, and preparing staff for that as well.
PGN: As you refine your outreach strategy, are there any communities where you’re making targeted efforts?
E.J.: There will be people, like older adults, who understand that it’s an important part of their health care.
With school-age children, it’s touch and go depending on what’s required at their schools, but many of them are already getting vaccines for the year.
So, it’s kind of like this is just a part of your vaccine plan.
But I think it’s the adults that are maybe not immunocompromised or don’t feel like they’re at high risk for it, or the ones that are just feeling that vaccine fatigue.
In reality, when we talk about vaccines, it’s not just about protecting yourself, but it’s about protecting the whole community. The more people get vaccinated, the more protected everyone is.
As a public health and community health person, that’s something that I feel strongly about, but not everyone buys into that. So it’s about getting people on board.
This article is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award to the CDC Foundation totaling $69,392,486 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government. In addition, the CDC Foundation does not guarantee and is not responsible for the accuracy or reliability of information or content contained in this article. Moreover, the CDC Foundation expressly disclaims all liability for damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on any information contained within this article. This article are not intended as, and should not be interpreted by you as, constituting or implying the CDC Foundation’s endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation of the information, products, or services found therein.