ABSTRACT
This study evaluates the COVID-19 environment as well as the healthcare infrastructure necessary to provide timely immunization to the American public during a pandemic. The study will propose a public and private partnership for hospital and healthcare organizations comprised of government hospitals, not for profit hospitals and for-profit healthcare organizations to maximize vaccination efforts. Data was obtained from the 2019 American Hospital Association (AHA) annual survey. This data file provides essential information on individual United States hospitals in support of the communities they serve. The AHA data were evaluated to identify hospitals with the appropriate infrastructure to treat the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, other data bases were used to identify population demographics to develop national, state and local plans to provide COVID-19 vaccinations in local communities (AHA, 2019). The data show that the federal government operates 208 acute care hospitals and the Veterans Administration (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) operate another thousand clinics. At the state level, there are 1,283 non-federal government hospitals and 2,800 local public health departments available to provide immunizations during a pandemic. These federal and state healthcare facilities, augmented by state National Guard medical personnel can provide the foundation upon which to build a robust vaccination plan during a pandemic. In support of a public and private partnership, there are 3,126 not for profit hospitals representing 75% of US hospitals, which have a responsibility to provide local communities with healthcare services. Additionally, there are another 1,162 for profit US hospitals operating within local communities. The American Hospital Association data show that many of these hospitals are larger and are located in metropolitan areas which have the greatest need for COVID-19 vaccinations. In rural communities there are 1,350 Critical Access Hospitals which can support vaccinations in rural America. The study has managerial implications associated with local planning for COVID-19 vaccinations and policy implications for future vaccine planning during a pandemic.