Reps. Calvert and Issa Urge HHS to Directly Provide Vaccinations to Riverside County

Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) and Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50) announced they have sent a letter urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to directly provide COVID-19 vaccination doses to the Riverside County Health System.

"We must address the fact that the demand for vaccines in Riverside County among eligible populations continues to outpace supply," said Rep. Calvert. "Rep. Issa and I share the concerns expressed by Riverside County officials about the vaccine allocations they are receiving from the state. Getting vaccination doses directly from the federal government would help our underserved residents while the county attempts to receive a more equitable allocation from the state."

"Riverside County has received a disproportionately low allotment of COVID-19 vaccinations to date," said Rep. Issa. "I thank my friend, Rep. Calvert, for working together to advocate for Riverside to be included in the federal HRSA program that will help our communities receive their fair share of vaccine doses."

HHS recently notified Riverside County Health System it was among an initial cohort of 250 health centers across the country eligible to directly receive vaccines through the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) COVID-19 Vaccination Program. Final decisions about program participation will be made after HRSA's further conversations with health centers and jurisdictions about each health center's willingness to participate, readiness to receive doses, and staffing capacity to distribute vaccines. If the health center is found to meet all criteria for program participation, they will be able to place an order.