February 5, 2021

(Note to Providers from OMH and OASAS)

Vaccine information for OMH/OASAS provider program staff and residents

The NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) are beginning to work with voluntary provider agencies as a concierge of sorts, to obtain appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations for currently eligible program staff and residents. This service of vaccine appointment matching will be subject to the availability of doses and location of vaccinations sites relative to eligible programs. We will be working throughout the State to match programs with their closest vaccination sites.

A representative from OMH or OASAS will be reaching out to agencies based on the data they have provided in the weekly multi agency vaccine administration survey. Programs that are experiencing difficulties with receiving or completing surveys will also be identified and assisted through this process. We will begin the matching process with residential programs and then will move to the ambulatory system. If any of your program staff or residents already have vaccine appointments scheduled, they should keep them; they should also continue pursuing appointments at eligible community sites if they were planning to do.

At this time programs should not contact OMH or OASAS on this process. We will be contacting you as we review program data and identify eligible populations and administration sites. We will also be providing additional detail and updates on this process in the future.