Children’s Hospital COVID-19 Vaccination Planning Considerations

Vaccination events are a critical tool to make vaccinations as accessible as possible to local communities. This checklist provides a sample list of readiness activities and considerations to support children’s hospitals in setting up vaccination sites to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to kids in trusted, family- friendly settings that serve kids every day.

READINESS CHECKLIST

1. Pick vaccination date(s) and time(s)
   • Consider that November and December have multiple holidays when selecting dates and duration to be open to the community
   • Determine the hours where parents/guardians in your community can easily attend – such as offering availability after school/working hours and/or on weekends
   • Consider that consistency in dates and times may facilitate outreach and communications (e.g., drop-in hours every Wednesday from 4:00-7:00pm)
   • Schedule times for second doses, to help support vaccination series completion
2. Ensure availability and optimal use of supply
   • Consider offering adult vaccines for older siblings and parents/guardians
   • Review CDC and manufacturer materials regarding product configuration, shipping, storage, dosing, intervals, and adverse event profiles as they become available
   • Work with your jurisdiction as needed to assure availability of second doses. Note that the U.S. Government will not offer second dose management of vaccine in ordering processes
   • Manage and accurately report on-hand product inventory to track doses near-expiry and facilitate dose distribution/redistribution
   • Monitor trends in demand to anticipate changes in inventory
   • Order additional vaccine responsibly to avoid accumulation of unadministered inventory
   • Consider offering, and ensure supply of, influenza or other childhood and routine vaccines to be offered at the same time as the COVID-19 vaccine
3. Ensure site readiness
   • Reference CDC’s general information on COVID-19 Vaccination for Children
   • Consider offering both walk-ins and advance appointment scheduling, to support your hospital’s understanding of potential vaccination volumes and capacity needs
   • Select your vaccination location. Spaces must be well-ventilated, clean, and spacious enough for social distancing before, during and 15–30 minutes after immunization
   • If hosting a clinic at a location other than your hospital, use CDC’s Guidance for Planning Vaccination Clinics as a resource. If partnering with a school, consult CDC’s Considerations for Planning School-Located Vaccination Clinics
   • Design your vaccination site to include stations or opportunities for registration, immunization, observation, and data reporting – as well as entertainment and engagement
   • Stay up-to-date on your state’s parent/guardian consent requirements, and ensure staff are trained and equipped to obtain necessary consent
   • Ensure sufficient staffing levels at the vaccination site, including:
     • Administrative staff to handle registration and traffic flow
     • Pediatric clinical staff to administer vaccine and conduct the post-vaccination observation period
     • Pediatric clinical staff to engage/talk with parents/guardians
     • Staff for data entry and reporting
     • Staff and community partners to generate turnout, greet families, and host kids programming
   • Ensure staff receive adequate education and training to administer vaccinations, including to co-administer COVID-19, influenza, and other childhood vaccines, when appropriate
   • Equip and train staff to respond to possible severe allergic reactions like anaphylaxis
   • Advance equity at vaccination sites – including by displaying key messages in multiple languages, securing translation services as needed, and ensuring staff are trained in culturally competent practices
   • Confirm a plan to ensure on-site staff are vaccinated and to minimize staff-wide exposure
   • Work with your state to apply for 100% federal reimbursement for the costs associated with vaccinations and site readiness – including site set-up, equipment, transportation to/from vaccination sites, and outreach to the public
4. Ensure information system readiness
   • Remain aware of changes to jurisdictional immunization reporting requirements. For the latest guidance from your jurisdictional immunization program, contact your Immunization Program Manager. (Copy and paste the following URL into browser address bar for a list of program managers: https://www.immunizationmanagers.org/page/MemPage)
   • Prepare data collection and information systems to support new requirements, including but not limited to codes for billing and payments and tracking vaccine types and doses
   • Prepare scheduling and patient reminder systems and ensure they have the capacity to handle increases in user traffic
   • Bolster capacity for call center(s) and website(s) as needed to handle additional volume
   • Onboard to vaccines.gov, so that parents/guardians know about your vaccination site:
     • Once you are an approved COVID-19 vaccine administrator and have received a registration email from Vaccines.gov, set up a COVID Locating Health account, using the Quick Start Guide
     • Manage and regularly report your inventory in the COVID Locating Health portal, either by logging it manually or uploading a file
     • Update your Vaccines.gov public display settings in the COVID Locating Health portal so that parents, including those not currently connected to your hospital, know where and when your hospital is offering children’s vaccinations, as well as how to make an appointment.
5. Drive outreach and turnout
   • Directly engage parents/guardians of children through calls, texts, emails, and more
   • Work with local community leaders, community- and faith-based organizations, school districts, and others to drive turnout across communities – including in multiple languages
   • Work with partners to host community engagements where pediatricians and local medical personnel can answer questions about the vaccine in advance of visiting the clinic
   • Prepare and distribute patient education materials on the risks of COVID-19 to children and the safety and benefits of vaccination
   • Ensure materials are clear, culturally competent, and accessible to all literacy levels
   • Take advantage of successful COVID-19 vaccination efforts and lessons learned. For an example, see Overview of Barriers and Facilitators in COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach
   • Engage businesses, sports teams, entertainment, and others to create fun programming for both children and their families
   • Leverage partnerships (e.g., American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] State Chapters) to help mobilize providers and messaging to families
   • Visit https://www.covid.gov/resource/resources-about-covid-19-vaccinations-for-children for resources and ready-made materials to support your organization in conducting outreach and having conversations about vaccination