Equipment Requirements
VFC Providers receive vaccine at no cost to them. However, the vaccines they receive are purchased with millions of tax payers’ dollars. To reduce waste and spoilage of expensive vaccines, the California VFC program has recently issued new guidelines for vaccine storage units.
Effective July 1, 2009, all enrolled VFC providers will be expected to comply with the new requirements. All newly enrolled providers or providers who experience any vaccine loss due to failure of their current storage unit (regardless of volume) will be expected to comply with the new requirement effective September 1, 2008.
This Refrigerator Buying Guide describes what types of equipment are suitable.
All providers must comply with these requirements in order to receive VFC vaccines.
| Office Size | Required Equipment |
|---|---|
| Very High Volume 10,000 doses/year |
Pharmacy-grade or biologic-grade refrigerator-only units and stand-alone freezer units |
| High Volume 2,000-10,000 doses/year |
Refrigerator-only (16.7 cubic feet minimum) and stand-alone freezer units |
| Medium Volume 500-2,000 doses/year |
Refrigerator-only (16.7 cubic feet minimum) and stand-alone freezer units OR Pharmacy-grade or biologic-grade under the counter units. |
| Low Volume Less than 500 doses/year |
If your office is considering replacement of your current vaccine storage unit, refer to the requirements and check with your local VFC Field Representative prior to making your purchase.
Storing Vaccines
In addition to having compliant vaccine storage equipment, monitoring refrigerator and freezer temperature is important in preventing spoilage.