December 24, 2020
MultiCare receives Moderna vaccine
SPOKANE, Wash. — MultiCare Health System announced today a shipment of the Moderna vaccine has been received for its Inland Northwest facilities in the fight against COVID-19.
Across MultiCare, the vaccine will be distributed by prioritizing workers who are in high risk areas including ICUs, Emergency Departments and other frontline employees in clinical settings.
Additionally, MultiCare has committed to using 20% of its allotments to vaccinate local first responders and other high-risk health care workers in fulfillment of their mission to partner for healing and a healthy future. As more vaccines are received, MultiCare will expand its distribution with the hope that all workers will be vaccinated by early 2021.
The Moderna vaccine does not require ultra-low temperature storage and has longer stability when refrigerated, which will allow greater flexibility around scheduling staff vaccinations. Senior leaders across MultiCare are committed to getting the vaccine — but not until frontline health care workers are vaccinated first.
“This is a historic day in our fight against COVID-19,” Senior Vice President and MultiCare’s Inland Northwest Chief Executive Dr. David O’Brien said. “While this certainly is a momentous occasion in the pandemic, I want to remind the general public that they need to continue wearing a mask, washing their hands frequently, and limiting holiday gatherings to those who live in the same household.”
Due to safety concerns, members of the media will not be allowed to enter MultiCare facilities during the vaccination period. However, MultiCare will provide still images and video assets to assist with local media coverage.
About MultiCare
MultiCare is a not-for-profit health care organization with more than 20,000 team members, including employees, providers and volunteers. MultiCare has been caring for our community for well over a century, since the founding of Tacoma’s first hospital and today is the largest community-based, locally governed health system in the state of Washington.
MultiCare’s comprehensive system of health includes numerous primary care, urgent care and specialty services — including MultiCare Indigo, Pulse Heart Institute and MultiCare Rockwood Clinic, the largest multispecialty clinic in the Inland Northwest region.
MultiCare’s network of care includes 10 hospitals:
- MultiCare Allenmore Hospital, Tacoma
- MultiCare Auburn Medical Center, Auburn
- MultiCare Covington Medical Center, Covington
- MultiCare Deaconess Hospital, Spokane
- MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital, Puyallup
- Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, Tacoma
- MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital, Tacoma
- MultiCare Valley Hospital, Spokane Valley
- Navos Behavioral Health Hospital
- Wellfound Behavioral Health Hospital