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Dear Family and Center-Based Child Care Providers:
The state continues to pilot strategies for vaccinating educators, school staff, and child care staff based on learnings from the state sites and feedback from all of you.
For the week of February 1, education and child care staff will also have the opportunity to receive the vaccine at a new state site in Minneapolis, 35 county local public health clinics spread out throughout the entire state, as well as pharmacies in Brainerd, St. Cloud, and Rochester. Staff in education and child care settings will be contacted directly if selected to sign up for vaccine appointments at the state site in Minneapolis or the community pharmacy sites in Brainerd, St. Cloud, and Rochester.
This week, there will not be any new first dose appointments offered at the sites in Blaine, Brooklyn Center, Fergus Falls, Marshall, Mountain Iron, North Mankato, Rochester, St. Cloud, St. Paul, or Thief River Falls. With the exception of those who received their first dose at the former Andover site who will now be receiving their second dose of the vaccine at the Blaine site, all educators, school staff, and child care workers will receive their second dose of the vaccine at the same location they received their first dose.
Piloting State Sites, Community Pharmacy, and Local Public Health for Child Care and Education
The state site in Minneapolis will serve child care providers in the metro area, focused first on the wait list from week 2 of the pilot and then moving on to the last group of center and family-based providers in the metro area not yet invited via random selection. Invitations will arrive Wednesday via email or text message. Appointments will not be guaranteed.
In ensuring continued access in Greater Minnesota for educators and child care staff, pharmacy partners in Brainerd, St. Cloud, and Rochester will serve the waitlist from state sites in week two of the pilot. As appointments become available, those on the waitlist will be invited directly from the pharmacy partners. As access increases, the invitations will expand through additional programs not yet invited in the pilot. Appointments will not be guaranteed.
Additionally, based on feedback from many of you and from local public health departments, the Governor has directed additional doses to 35 local public health departments throughout the state to serve child care and education as well as asked local public health departments to prioritize education and child care as they move through 1a within their existing allocations. Local public health will partner directly with school and child care programs in their communities and our team has shared with them licensed and certified centers and licensed family child care within their jurisdiction.
The 35 county local public health clinics participating this week:
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Aitkin Co Public Health
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Goodhue Public Health
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Otter Tail Public Health
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Beltrami Co Public Health
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Horizon Public Health Douglas
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Pine Co Local Public Health
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Benton Co Public Health
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Isanti Public Health
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Polk Public Health
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Blue Earth Public Health
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Itasca Public Health
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Rice Public Health
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Brown Public Health
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Kandiyohi Public Health
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Sherburne Public Health
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Carlton Public Health
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Koochiching Public Health
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St. Louis Public Health
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Cass Public Health
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McLeod Public Health
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Stearns Public Health
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Chisago Public Health
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Mille Lacs Public Health
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Steele Public Health
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Clay Public Health
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Morrison Public Health
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SW Health/Human Srvcs/Lyon
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Crow Wing Public Health
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Mower Public Health
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Winona Public Health
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Des Moines Valley
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Nicollet Public Health
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Wright Public Health
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Freeborn Public Health
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Olmsted Public Health
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Based on limited allocation from the federal government, only 5,000 vaccine appointments will available for education and child care staff at the Minneapolis location, 500 appointments at each of the pharmacy sites, and 100 appointments each at the local public health clinics.
New Vendor for State Site
The state is also partnering with a new vendor Vault Health for the state sites. For those metro providers invited from the waitlist or next round of invitations, family child care providers and center staff who completed the survey should look for a communication directly from Vault for vaccine appointments at the state site in Minneapolis as they become available. The information will come in an individualized link that will only work for them. Receiving a link to sign up for an appointment does not guarantee one.
Employment verification remains a part of the vaccination program. Staff in center-based programs should be prepared to show a paystub or staff ID. Family child care providers should be prepared to show a copy of their child care license.
We have generated a template email to help you communicate today’s announcement to your staff (if applicable).
Survey to Frontline Heroes
As the state continues its efforts to prioritize access for child care and education heroes, getting the latest information about vaccine opportunities directly to the frontline workers is critically important. As shared on Friday, we ask that you complete the survey and/or share it with your staff to provide information so that we can reach out directly to that frontline child care staff and family providers as vaccination opportunities become available: Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Education & Child Care.
If you or your staff have questions about the vaccine pilot program you can direct them to childrenscabinet.mmb@state.mn.us.
Thank you for your continued partnership and patience,
Education and Child Care COVID-19 Response Workgroup
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