Fort Campbell, KY – The Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (BACH) Clinical Support Division will begin surveying about 14,000 high-risk healthcare beneficiaries through an automated phone survey starting January 7th, 2021 and into the next several weeks to assess their preference for receiving the COVID-19 Coronavirus vaccine.
At this time, no appointments are being scheduled for beneficiaries to receive the vaccine. Beneficiaries will be alerted to when and how they can make appointments once the vaccine is available to them.
This initial automated telephone survey will only target beneficiaries enrolled for primary care at Blanchfield and its’ outlying medical homes who have one or more high-risk factors documented in their medical record.
The survey will enable hospital officials to determine the number of vaccines needed for high-risk beneficiaries who are considered most vulnerable to serious complications from the SARS-COV-2 virus.
The automated phone survey will first verify the intended patient by date of birth. Once the patient is verified, the beneficiary will be asked to press 1 for YES, 2 for NO, or 3 for MAYBE to indicate their current interest in receiving the COVID-19 Coronavirus vaccine. For most telephone carriers, the phone number will display as 111-111-1111 on their caller ID.
The automated telephone survey will make additional attempts to reach beneficiaries during the survey period for those who may have missed their initial call. Beneficiaries who select MAYBE will receive a follow-up automated telephone survey before the survey closes.
With initial limited vaccine availability, the hospital is implementing a phased vaccination plan based on categories determined by the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In Phase I, the voluntary vaccine was first offered to healthcare, emergency services, and public safety workers.
Additionally in Phase I, the vaccine is being offered to personnel preparing to deploy overseas and critical and essential support personnel. In Phase II, the voluntary vaccine will be offered to the elderly and individuals age 16 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase the risk of serious, life-threatening complications from the virus.
These conditions, identified by the CDC, may include cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, heart conditions such as heart failure; coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies, immunocompromised state from solid organ transplant; obesity or severe obesity (BMI greater or equal to 30kg/m2); pregnancy, sickle cell disease; smoking; down syndrome; or type 2 diabetes mellitus.
In Phase III, voluntary vaccination will be offered to beneficiaries in good health, who may be less likely to experience life-threatening complications from the virus.
“As vaccine availability increases in the coming months, vaccination groups will expand and we will notify eligible beneficiaries, including retirees, family members, federal employees, and contractors of vaccine opportunities. Service members will receive vaccination information and participate in a survey from their unit. COVID-19 vaccination is completely voluntary, to include active duty service members,” said Maj. Meagan Sykes, BACH’s Chief of Clinical Support Division.
Beneficiaries who think they may have a high-risk factor are requested to wait until the initial survey is completed in the next several weeks before contacting the hospital.
“The automated survey can contact up to 2,100 beneficiaries per day, so it may take some time before each beneficiary is contacted during the survey period,” Sykes said. After the survey is complete, beneficiaries who think they may have one or more high-risk factors and did not receive a call may contact their primary care team through TRICARE Online Secure Messaging.
“We are using the telephone numbers on record for our beneficiaries, which they provided when they enrolled to our hospital. If their contact information has changed, but the beneficiary did not update the number in their medical record that would affect whether they receive an automated telephone survey, so it is important to keep contact information current,” said Sykes.
Beneficiaries may verify their current contact information online through the Defense Manpower Data Center website at https://milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect .
Once the initial survey is complete, Blanchfield personnel can determine how much vaccine is needed for this phase. Those beneficiaries who indicated they would like to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during the initial phase will be notified through another automated telephone call when it is time for them to schedule their appointment to receive the vaccine.
Beneficiaries who are offered the vaccine must be available 21 or 28 days later to receive the second dose, based on the vaccine manufacturer’s guidance.
“We will continue to share information as it becomes available through our website and social media channels,” said Sykes.
For the latest information concerning the hospital’s COVID-19 Coronavirus response effort, including vaccine distribution information follow BACH’s Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BACH.Fort.Campbell
