You may know these guidelines if you participate in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. Because VFC providers are storing a large amount of publicly funded vaccine, program grantees require providers to monitor storage closely and hold them responsible for vaccines lost due to temperature excursions or other preventable errors that result in lost vaccine stock. Because public and private vaccines are often stored in the same storage units the CDC is encouraging all providers to examine their vaccine storage practices and update them if necessary to protect the vaccine investment.
Has your practice had to upgrade vaccine storage equipment?
Educate yourself on the new guidelines to make sure you aren’t putting your vaccine stock at risk. CPP offers members educational resources around proper vaccine storage that include a list of recommended units from other CPP members as well as a Vaccine Storage Equipment Educational Grant from CPP to help offset the cost of investing in proper storage equipment for your practice.
Through the implementation of enhanced temperature monitoring procedures, many of our member practices have discovered failures in their refrigerators and freezers that have previously gone undetected. This discovery has led them to purchase new equipment that complies with the new guidelines, develop new procedures for greater oversight and create contingency plans in case of equipment or process failure. As you can imagine, this can be a very expensive venture for your practice but it could be even more expensive if you were to lose thousands of dollars’ worth of vaccines. CPP will continue to support our member offices in protecting their vaccine investments.