Providence Partners with Edwards Lifesciences, Cities of Irvine, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Tustin to Open Two Free Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics

News provided by

Apr 21, 2021, 15:00 ET

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.