ORANGE COUNTY, Calif.,
April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- Providence, a national nonprofit health system, is
partnering with Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE: EW), the Orange County-based medical technology
company, and the Cities of Irvine,
Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Tustin to open two mass vaccination clinics at
one of Edwards Lifesciences' campus buildings in Santa Ana and the Orange County Great Park in
Irvine, providing convenient
access for residents to protect themselves from COVID-19.
The Providence clinic at the
Edwards Lifesciences site, which was made possible in part by a
generous $500,000 donation from the
company as well as significant facility and staffing support, was
strategically chosen due to its capacity and central location. The
clinic opens today at 3009 Daimler St. in Santa Ana. A second Providence vaccination clinic in partnership
with the City of Irvine will open
at the Orange County Great Park on Monday,
April 26. The drive-through clinic, at 8000 Great Park
Blvd., will offer residents convenient access to life-saving
vaccines from the comfort of their vehicles.
Vaccines are by appointment only and can be scheduled at
myturn.ca.gov or by calling 1-833-422-4255. Free parking is
available adjacent to the clinic location at Edwards.
To ensure smooth operation of the sites, the Cities of
Irvine, Santa Ana, Costa
Mesa and Tustin are
providing resources, including public safety and equipment. Through
targeted outreach and multi-lingual communications, the cities are
also working to overcome accessibility challenges and immunization
hesitancy within their local communities.
"Providence is committed to
providing Orange County residents
with access to the vaccine, particularly our most vulnerable
communities that are bearing the brunt of this virus, and our
strong partnerships are making that possible. Working with the
dedicated staff at Edwards and the
Cities of Irvine, Santa Ana, Costa
Mesa and Tustin to open
these two sites, helps us increase our capacity to deliver more
vaccine doses and keep our communities healthy," said Erik G. Wexler, president, operations and
strategy, Providence - South.
Providence has helped lead
vaccine distribution in the region, having administered more than
256,815 doses to date. Providence clinical and operations teams will
staff the mass vaccine clinics, and through its regional
operations, have access to the three U.S. Food and Drug
Administration-approved COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer BioNTech,
Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). Following the
recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Providence has paused use of the Johnson &
Johnson vaccine. Once fully operational, the two
sites together will be able to vaccinate up to 4,000 residents
per day, with the ability to expand depending on vaccine supply.
All vaccines are administered free of charge.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been over
44,000 diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in Santa Ana, equating to a 13.2% positivity
rate. Neighboring cities have faced lower, but still high
positivity rates, with Irvine
having a 3.6% positivity rate; Tustin, 7.49%; and Costa Mesa, 7.59%. Furthermore, communities of
color continue to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Providence is committed to
helping reduce health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, and
recently made an initial investment of $1.4 million to expand outreach and education and
increase the COVID-19 testing and vaccination supply to
marginalized communities. In addition to pop-up vaccine clinics in
at-risk communities, Providence
hopes these two new mass clinics will help support equitable
distribution of vaccines across the county.
About Providence Southern California
Providence
Southern California is a
not-for-profit Catholic health network with 11 hospitals,
approximately 90 clinics, TrinityCare Hospice and its TrinityKids
Care pediatric hospice, Providence High School, home health care
services, eight wellness centers and numerous physician groups in
its Southern California Region. Together these ministries,
including secular affiliates and some representing other
faiths, generate $7.5 billion in
net revenue and have approximately 30,000 employees – called
caregivers – and nearly 5,200 physicians on staff.
Providence Southern California
is part of Providence, a national
not-for-profit Catholic health system comprising a diverse family
of organizations and driven by a belief that health is a human
right. With 52 hospitals, over 1,000 physician clinics, senior
services, supportive housing and many other health and educational
services, the health system and its partners employ more than
120,000 caregivers serving communities across seven states –
Alaska, California, Montana, New
Mexico, Oregon,
Texas and Washington, with
system offices in Renton, Wash.,
and Irvine, Calif. Learn about our
vision of health for a better world at Providence.org.
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SOURCE Providence