Vaccine photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Counties in the Central Valley have cited challenges scheduling vaccine appointments using state systems, leading some to implement their own systems to streamline the process.

The public can soon expect more changes when scheduling vaccine appointments, but county health officials worry it could hamper efforts to vaccinate their own residents.

Blue Shield has been hired by the state to establish a Covid-19 vaccination network. Called “MyTurn,” it would serve as the state’s vaccine appointment scheduling hub.

“Right now we’ve been in conversations with them to help build that network. The purpose is to help insure that the network can accurately assess dose administration and record demographics and monitor progress as we go forward,” said David Pomaville, Fresno County public health director.

Blue Shield would help counties meet statewide vaccination goals.

The backbone of the program, Pomaville says, is the MyTurn application, a statewide appointment scheduling system to receive vaccinations.

The county currently uses MyTurn for the Fresno Fairgrounds vaccination site, but has not rolled it out to other vaccination sites out of equity concerns. The county has made calls to people 65 years and older to schedule vaccination appointments. Making phone calls alleviates technological and economical barriers, according to health officials.

There are downsides to the program, health officials say.

Pomaville said there is nothing stopping someone outside Fresno County from registering to be vaccinated, which would ultimately take from the county’s allotted doses.

“We are going to see ultimately with MyTurn rolling out, the county boundaries are going to be essentially erased, just like they are for any other medical provider. We don’t confine medical care to just one county,” Pomaville said.

But at the onset, Pomaville says the health department might see competition among people logging into other counties trying to register.

The Kings County Department of Public Health issued a statement that their vaccine appointments would be on hold after challenges trying to implement the MyTurn platform.

Kings County started a phased approach to implement the system, but will delay full implementation until system flaws are resolved. It cited concerns, like FCDPH, that individuals can secure appointments anywhere throughout the state regardless of residence.

This impacts an already limited supply of vaccines in Kings County. The health department also stated that its past shipment of vaccines was delayed because of the winter storms across the country.

“The combination of these two separate and unfortunate situations has forced the Public Health Department to halt plans for vaccination clinics for the near future,” said Nichole Fisher, nursing division manager for the Kings County health department. “This comes at a crucial time in curtailing the pandemic and it is frustrating for Public Health staff who are unable to do anything about these issues.”

But by the late March, the state will request counties operate exclusively out of MyTurn. There is no timeline or solution yet to resolving the registration issues.