(Madera, California) – Valley Children’s Hospital will begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine this week to Fresno Unified School District employees, with supplies provided by the Fresno County Department of Public Health. Valley Children’s has been working closely with County health officials and Fresno Unified to make the hospital’s staff and location available to vaccinate teachers and staff - with a capacity of up to 2,000 people a week - until everyone in the district who wants the vaccine is able to receive it.
Valley Children’s is committed to helping our kids and teachers get back to school safely, in alignment with guidance offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and County health officials.
Fresno County will provide the vaccination supply for this joint effort and Valley Children’s will provide staffing and access to our conference center where we are already conducting vaccination clinics for our own workforce.
Valley Children’s has appreciated a long-standing partnership with Fresno Unified - and school districts across the Valley - to ensure the health and safety of our kids. We have been honored to work alongside schools throughout this pandemic on issues ranging from providing guidance for medically complex kids to considerations for classroom placement, and symptom algorithms to help distinguish COVID-19 from common colds and the flu.
“This pandemic has reinforced what we all have known for decades when it comes to the health of our children: it takes a partnership between Valley Children’s, schools and public health leaders to make the greatest difference for the kids who are counting on us,” says Valley Children’s President and Chief Executive Officer Todd Suntrapak. “With our school leaders and public health partners across the Valley, we are exploring the needs of other school districts that might need assistance with vaccination of their teams and will share that information as we learn more.”
Fresno Unified is coordinating the scheduling for vaccines at Valley Children’s and other clinic sites. Staff will receive emails from the district with instructions. Please do not call Valley Children’s to schedule an appointment.
Fresno County is working with several healthcare networks and community partners throughout the region to assist with vaccination distribution. For more information, please visit www.fcdph.org/COVID19vax.