House COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force Meets Tomorrow for Presentations on Vaccine Distribution

STATE HOUSE – The House of Representatives Task Force for COVID-19 Vaccine is scheduled to meet virtually tomorrow to discuss vaccine distribution efforts with representatives from the Department of Health, Care New England and Lifespan.

The meeting is to be held tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 3 p.m. via WebEx.

The meeting will be televised by Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox Channels 15 and 61, in high definition on Cox Channel 1013, on Full Channel on Channel 15 and on Channel 34 by Verizon subscribers.  The meeting can be live streamed at http://www.rilegislature.gov/CapTV/Pages/default.aspx.

Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, Director; Alysia Mihalakos, Chief of the Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response, and Tricia Washburn, Chief of the Office of Immunization, will make the presentation by the Department of Health. 

Lifespan will be represented by Christine M. Collins, Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer, and Jacqueline Parrillo, RN, Director, Employee and Occupational Health Services and Human Resources. Care New England will be represented by Dr. Raymond Powire, MD, Executive Chief of Medicine, and Robin Neale, MS, Vice President, Quality and Clinical Effectiveness.

The task force’s purpose is to ensure that Rhode Island’s distribution of the vaccine is done in a timely manner following the CDC guidelines and that front-line workers, the health-compromised and the elderly are given access first, and also to make certain the needs of the underserved populations are appropriately addressed. The task force will work closely with the Rhode Island Department of Health and learn about the state’s vaccine plan.

No public testimony will be accepted at the virtual meeting.