March 31 Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Boulder Community Health (BCH) President & CEO Robert Vissers, M.D. provided an email update on March 31, 2021 to community members regarding COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

There have been important new developments this week in expanding access to COVID-19 vaccine.

Effective Friday, the State will move to Phase 2 – the final stage of its vaccine distribution plan – and make anyone 16 and older eligible to be vaccinated. Individuals in this Phase 2 group can register for vaccination at Boulder Community Health starting at 5 p.m. this Friday, April 2, 2021.

BCH also introduced a new approach for scheduling vaccinations this week. People using the MyBCH patient portal can now self-schedule their appointments.

• Individuals who are already eligible to be vaccinated can schedule appointments right away.
• People in the Phase 2 group can start scheduling appointments this Friday at 5 p.m.

Unfortunately, the supply of vaccine continues to be limited in comparison to the number of people eligible to be vaccinated. Many appointments for the near future have already been taken by people who were eligible in previous phases of the distribution plan, e.g. people age 50 and older. BCH will continue to have limited appointments available until the vaccine supply increases.

The quickest and most efficient way to get vaccinated by BCH is through the MyBCH patient portal, which provides unrestricted access to vaccination scheduling — you do not need to be a BCH patient to set up a free MyBCH account.

If you already have a MyBCH account, you should check that your personal information is up to date.

If you need to set up an account, you can do that here. If you have trouble setting up your account, you can send questions to this email — MyBCH@bch.org. Our staff is currently receiving a high volume of emails, so they will respond to your message in the order in which it was received as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience.

To schedule a vaccine appointment, follow these steps –

From your PC or laptop:

• Login to your MyBCH account at https://my.bch.org
• Click “Menu” (located in the top left corner of the portal homepage).
• Click “Schedule an Appointment.”
• Scroll down the list of options and click on the “COVID Vaccine Dose 1” tab.
• Answer the required questions as prompted. Select an appointment from the available options.
• Verify your personal information.
• Click the green “Click to Schedule” box to confirm.

From your smartphone or tablet:

• Login to your account in the MyBCH app.
• Click the “Menu” icon.
• Click “Schedule an Appointment.”
• Scroll down the list of options and click on the “COVID Vaccine Dose 1” tab.
• Answer the required questions as prompted.
• Select an appointment from the available options.
• Click the green “Click to Schedule” box to confirm.

Make sure you complete all steps when scheduling your appointment. You will receive a confirmation email from donotreply@bch.org with additional instructions about your visit.

You will be able to schedule your second dose of vaccine (if required) after you receive your first dose. This can be done at the vaccine clinic prior to your departure.

Due to the limited supply of vaccine, we cannot immediately provide appointments for everyone who wants one. If you try to register and no appointments are available, you’ll need to check your MyBCH account periodically. We will be adding new appointments regularly.

BCH has now provided more than 51,000 doses of vaccine and we have more than 7,000 people already scheduled for vaccinations.

While the number of Boulder County residents vaccinated against COVID-19 continues to grow steadily, it’s important to remember that a vaccinated person may still be able to spread the virus to others. That’s why all of us need to continue wearing masks, washing our hands and social distancing. Our community is safer and healthier because of your continued commitment to those important actions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert Vissers
President and CEO, Boulder Community Health