About 10% of rural hospitals in Texas have not yet received a single dose of Covid-19, according to a group representing rural hospitals in the state.
Of the 16 hospitals to which no vaccine was sent, 15 doses sought from neighboring providers or pharmacies to have their staff vaccinated, Don McBeath, director of government relations for the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals (TORCH), told CNN.
‘There has been a lot of frustration for a number of weeks with many of the rural hospitals in Texas because they have seen the state move into the general category and administer vaccine, but we have had so many rural hospitals that are not even in were able to receive it for their front-line employees, ”McBeath said.
According to McBeath, 25 of the 157 rural hospitals in the country should have sent another vaccine. On Sunday, an update from the state on the allocation of vaccines revealed that 16 rural hospitals were not yet on the distribution list, including Golden Planes Community Hospital.
“We have not received a single dose yet,” said Golden Planes CEO Don Bates. Some of his employees received a vaccine from their local United supermarket, which had a few extra doses to share.
McBeath said the rise of Covid-19 in Texas and across the country is ‘just as bad or worse’ in rural areas, where small hospitals cannot afford to have staff out of service because there are so many patients in need of care .
If some of these hospital staff are sick or on quarantine due to exposure to Covid-19, ‘you do not even have enough staff to perform a 24-hour operation,’ he said.
“That’s why we have repeatedly pleaded with the state to make rural hospitals a priority – to find a way to make it work,” he added.
Entry Issues
Hospitals must have an application approved by the Texas Department of State Health Services before they can receive and administer vaccines.
“There are still a few hospitals that are completing their enrollment as a vaccine provider. We have worked closely with TORCH and the facilities to help them complete the process so that they can receive vaccination,” said Chris Van Deusen, director of media relations for, the Texas Department of State Health Services, told CNN. “Rural hospitals play an important role in providing care in their communities, and we will award vaccines to them as they enroll.”
Some hospital executives say the enrollment process is not that simple.
According to Bates, he tried to apply for his hospital at least a dozen times. “If you’re on the computer with an application and they’re asking for another review, you’ll wait for another 14 business days,” he said.
Assets compare it to the fire department when your home burns down and responds: “Well, how many buckets of water do you need?”
He said his application was approved last week, but the hospital was not notified how many doses it received and when.
“If we’re approved, send me vaccine,” Bates said. “Let me get my arms.”
Nathan Staggs, chief executive of Anson General Hospital, another hospital awaiting vaccines, said his application was approved Wednesday. He said nearly half of his staff had recently had coronavirus, and others had received doses through local pharmacies.
“There was a lot of frustration for my staff – ‘Why can I go to a pharmacy in the grocery store in Abilene and get a vaccine, but I can not get one at work?'” Staggs said.
Expanding access to vaccines
Across the country, the effects of the coronavirus vaccine are slower than federal officials initially predicted. Just over 10 million people received their first coronavirus shots and 29.3 million doses of vaccine were distributed, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. At the urging of federal officials, many states are opening vaccinations for additional priority groups.
The Texas Department of Health Services said in a statement on its website that during the week of January 11, Texas will direct most Covid-19 vaccines to major sites or hubs in the state to vaccinate more than 100,000 people.
According to Bates, the main hubs can be hours away for people living in rural communities. As vaccinations are available to the wider population, he said his employees are still waiting their turn.
“What does this mean for us? Do we keep waiting?” he said.
Texas, like other states, is working to speed up the administration of vaccines. The health department communicates regularly with hospital heads.
Bates said the message from the state was clear: “Get more shots in the arms.”
“Well, send me vaccines, then I’ll do it,” he said.