TO: Ballad Health ALL
FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center
DATE: Sept. 24, 2021
TITLE: COVID-19 vaccine booster shots available to all team members
Now that Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine booster has been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Ballad Health will offer a booster shot to team members beginning Monday, Sept. 27.
The FDA and CDC have authorized a single booster dose for:
- people 65 years of age and older;
- residents of long-term care settings;
- individuals ages 50 through 64 at high risk of severe COVID-19;
- those who are ages 18 to 49 with underlying medical conditions; and
- people ages 18 through 64 whose frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 puts them at high risk of serious complications of COVID-19 including severe COVID-19.
These recommendations mean that all Ballad Health team members and credentialed providers are eligible to receive a booster.
While data has consistently shown the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine, the booster shot is intended to boost the body’s immune response and increase antibodies against the virus.
Team members who received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least 6 months ago will be eligible to receive the booster. Booster shots for the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines are not available at this time.
To administer the booster shots, Ballad Health will once again open vaccination Point of Dispensing (POD) locations across our region for three weeks. During this time, PODs will also make available first and second doses for those not fully vaccinated, and third doses of the vaccine for immunocompromised team members.
Those eligible for receiving the vaccine in our PODs include team members, medical staff members, volunteers working within Ballad Health, outsourced service providers such as Ensemble and Morrison Healthcare, and credentialed providers who have privileges at one of our hospitals. Members of Ballad Health’s board of directors or foundation board members who meet the vaccination criteria may also receive their booster shot through one of our PODs.
- Click here to see a schedule of all POD locations, including each one’s hours of operation.
- Here’s an FAQ sheet with additional information about the COVID-19 booster and third dose and the process for getting vaccinated in our PODs.
You will need to bring your vaccine card or proof of vaccination with you to the POD.
If you have any questions after reviewing this information, please reach out to your infection preventionist at your facility.
