As more children’s COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are being approved for various age groups, it’s more critical than ever to ensure your vaccines are safe and the equipment you use keeps the vaccines at required temperatures during storage and transport.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that program participants offering vaccines to minors will need to meet the storage and transport requirements for both the Vaccines for Children (VFC) and COVID-19 Vaccine programs.
Whether you are a CDC program provider or not, the information presented in this webinar will provide you with invaluable information for keeping your vaccines safe. If you are a CDC provider, you will leave the webinar with an understanding of what you need to do to remain compliant. Our experts will walk you through these programs’ recommendations and how to avoid errors. The presentation will be followed by a brief Ask the Expert question and answer session.
Presenters
Graham A. Barden, MD – Pediatrician – Coastal Children’s Clinic (New Bern, North Carolina)
Dr. Graham A. Barden III earned his undergraduate degree (1978) as well as his MD (1982) from Duke University. He completed his pediatric residency at Vanderbilt University in 1985. He moved home to New Bern, NC, to join his father’s pediatric practice in 1985 where he continues to practice general pediatrics. He became active in the NC Pediatric Society with a special interest in vaccination when the VFC program started in 1994 concurrently with the NC Universal Childhood Distribution Program. He worked closely with the NC Pediatric Society and the NC Immunization Branch to promote vaccination as central to the health of the pediatric office as well as patients. In 2011, he was nominated to the AAP’s COPAM (Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine) which was the AAP’s coordinating council for all vaccination issues. He worked to improve vaccine storage and handling in the general pediatric office by focusing on better equipment and processes. He published AAP articles and helped create an AAP Storage and Handling course. He was awarded NC’s 2016 CDC Childhood Immunization Champion Award as well as National AAP and NC Chapter awards for his efforts to promote proper storage of vaccines for our members.
Cam Vreeland – Director of Product Traceable, an Antylia Scientific Company
Cam Vreeland is the Director of Product for Traceable, an Antylia Scientific company based in Houston, Texas. He leads a team of product managers responsible for the development,production, and marketing of Traceable's product portfolio. Relatively new to the healthcare space, but experienced in navigating regulations and compliance, he previously worked at Honeywell managing residential and commercial temperature control systems in the HVAC industry. In his free time, Cam enjoys playing in the yard with his kids or going on bike rides around Houston (when it's under 90+ degrees!).
Ted Bostic –Vice President of Product Management and Engineering Horizon Scientific
Ted is a hands-on product development leader with deep experience with scientific and medical systems. He participates on the NSF 456 committee for vaccine storage and has led the development of many advanced systems addressing vaccine, laboratory, incubator, and frozen storage applications. Ted works closely with customers and external organizations to create innovative solutions to regulatory compliance challenges in clinics and labs across the country.
Nate Kraft –Vice President of Traceable – Traceable, an Antylia Scientific company
Nate earned his MBA from the University of California in Berkeley and has over 15 years of global product innovation and product management experience across a variety of businesses. Nate joins Traceable from Honeywell International (and the subsequent Honeywell spin-out, Resideo) where he directly led the development of IOT solutions including HVAC products like thermostats, residential security systems, new software-as-a-service, and platform-as-a-service offerings. He also led strategic partnerships with companies including Apple, Google, and Amazon. Prior to Honeywell, Nate held leadership positions at Belkin and Sony Electronics.
Questions & Answers from the live event
Do you have any tips for implementing successful vaccine storage on a budget?
Contact your local Vaccines for Children (VFC) program coordinator and ask for support. Many states will provide data loggers and other supplies to help new providers get and stay compliant. Also remember that your time is valuable. Some solutions require an initial cost, but they will pay for themselves many times over in increased efficiency and reduced waste.
How has COVID affected vaccine storage regulations, how do you see that playing out in the future?
When distributing the COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC requires the use of digital data loggers, rather than just recommending them. We strongly believe that the whole field of vaccine storage will move towards connected data logging, where administrators and healthcare workers can see real-time temperature readings at work or offsite.
Where can I find resources for training my staff?
The CDC has an online training series named “You Call the Shots” as well as a more general continuing education course called “General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization.” Additionally, we always recommend checking with your state VFC coordinator for any training or materials that might be specific to your local program.
You mentioned calibration. Why is that important?
Calibration is important for two major reasons: accuracy and compliance. First, it verifies your thermometer is reading the temperature accurately. Second, in the CDC Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit, it states a temperature monitoring device must have a minimum accuracy of ±0.5°C and a calibrated thermometer must be used to monitor vaccines.
For ‘future-proofing’ or to follow the California requirements, you said we need a digital data logger that generates a report. Can you explain that in more detail, please?
Many State VFC programs require reports to be generated for either auditing or excursion reporting purposes. In most instances, these reports must include key information about the digital data logger as well as the necessary data logs which show what transpired over the period of interest. It is often required that these reports be available in PDF or Secure PDF format to ensure that they have not been tampered with and represent the most accurate information possible.
What are the most common pitfalls to avoid when evaluating your vaccine storage or transportation?
One of the biggest pitfalls is the use of cold storage equipment not intended for vaccines. Equipment that does not have provisions for capabilities recommended in the CDC Vaccine Storage Toolkit should never be used. Some regions have additional requirements, so these must also be considered.
My facility seems to be experiencing some power outages lately. What can I do to shore up my storage, so my vaccines won’t go bad?
Plan for power outages. There are several things you can do ahead of time to keep vaccines cold when the power goes out. The first and most important step is to use a digital data logger that sends notifications to you and your team through multiple communication channels to make sure someone is aware that the temperature is rising and can do something to stop it. Another important step you can take is to have a plan in place that outlines who on your team is responsible for taking what vaccine-preserving steps during a power outage. Be sure the action plan is clear and response time is as swift as possible. Another neat trick we’ve learned is that you can freeze water bottles and insert them in your vaccine refrigerator/freezer to keep temperatures low until the power returns.
It’s hurricane season in my area. What tips do you have to help me prepare my vaccine storage for a hurricane?
In addition to the steps mentioned above, the most important thing you can do is to have a plan that your entire staff is trained before hurricane season or any kind of disaster that threatens your power supply. Make sure the whole team knows the plan, their role in the plan, and all the contingencies.
We’ve had an issue with night-time cleaning staff pulling the plug on our refrigerator, probably not knowing how important it was. Beyond placing signs, what else can I do to prevent that?
In addition to signage, outlet cover boxes in multiple varieties are available at many retailer locations. These boxes are available with a locking mechanism or with loops to accept a lock you currently own. Once installed, they prevent access to the plugs entirely.
How important or detrimental is humidity in your vaccine fridges?
Functionally, for most cold storage equipment, high ambient humidity levels are more of a nuisance than a major concern. Most equipment will readily remove excess humidity from the cabinet air so stored product is not impacted unless it is particularly sensitive (certainly verify product storage requirements). There is the possibility of external condensation for most refrigerators and freezers if the equipment is operated outside of the recommended ambient conditions.
Does the Traceable® Vaccine-Trac™ work with the Apple Watch®?
No, the Vaccine-Trac does not work with the Apple Watch. The Vaccine-Trac is not a connected digital data logger but can be used with the TraceableLIVE cloud app to organize data. The data must be transferred from the Vaccine-Trac to TraceableLIVE using the included USB drive. To learn more about TraceableLIVE, visit www.coleparmer.com/traceablelive.
