PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Metro-area counties and major health systems announced a new effort Tuesday to vaccinate all area health care providers and employees eligible for the state’s Phase 1A vaccine, including solo practitioners and those unaffiliated with a hospital.

The move comes in the wake of thousands of healthcare workers in Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and Columbia Counties in the first group still wondering when and where they will get their first shot.

The new process entails county public health departments matching health care providers and employers with hospital systems that have agreed to provide these vaccinations. Employers are to have one person fill out a short survey with the name of their organization, the health care sector they work in, the number of employees who need vaccination, and a point of contact.

Phase 1a Request for Vaccination in Portland Metro Region

Within a week, public health will notify providers and employers about their eligibility and match them with a hospital system. The hospital system will then notify the provider or employer about where they can go to receive the vaccine. 

“I know that the hospital systems have been working hard to figure out how to do that looking at sites off their campuses, looking at drive thru models, being aware of some of the safety considerations like allergic reactions,” said Kim Toevs of the Multnomah County Health Department.

Toevs said Multnomah County received 2,200 doses of the vaccine Tuesday, but likely won’t be administering them until next week as distribution remains a significant hurdle.