NCCU’s ACCORD Program to Provide Freezers for Vaccine Storage in Underserved NC Communities
DURHAM, NC — North Carolina Central University’s Advanced Center for COVID-19 Related Disparities (ACCORD) is providing freezers to local health departments and the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina to expand vaccine storage capacity in underserved communities.
The seven high-tech ultra-cold freezers are capable of storing drugs at temperatures approaching 100 degrees below zero, which is required by some of the vaccine formulas. Funds for the freezers were provided through the NC Policy Collaborative at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“The freezers will be used to provide access to this life-saving vaccine in underserved communities where we are working with public health and community partners,” said Dr. Deepak Kumar, Director of the Julius L Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Institute, who leads NCCU’s ACCORD program. “The logistics involved in distribution are complex, but we must make sure the vaccine is available to the most vulnerable individuals in our state.”
The ACCORD program will place freezers at sites in Durham, Halifax, Granville, Vance, and Robeson counties, where ultra-cold storage is not available.
“Northeastern North Carolina was not initially intended to receive the first shipment of vaccine because of not having ample freezer capacity,” said Halifax County Health Director Bruce Robistow. “When NC Central told us about the freezer, we were able to overcome that obstacle, making it possible for rural Eastern North Carolina to receive any of the vaccines available and be able to store them safely and appropriately. We will also be sharing that capacity with some neighboring counties.”
The distribution is part of an initiative of the NC Policy Collaboratory at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill to distribute new freezers across the state.
Three small freezers will also be provided for use as mobile devices for vaccine transportation and to serve smaller clinics.
“These freezers will give us the capacity to distribute the vaccine more efficiently across the county, and will ensure that the drug formula retains its highest potency,” said Durham Health Director Rod Jenkins. “We are grateful for our partnership with NC Central throughout this pandemic. Durham’s ability to come together as a community is what will make COVID vaccine distribution a success.”
The ultra-cold freezers are made by Stirling.
A news release on the University of North Carolina System’s work expanding COVID-19 vaccine storage capacity at all 15 research institutions is available here: https://www.northcarolina.edu/news/unc-system-expanding-covid-19-vaccine-storage-capacity-at-all-15-research-institutions/.
Since August 2020, the ACCORD team has provided 53 testing events and tested over 3,200 individuals in underserved communities, along with over 1,200 participants’ survey of attitudes toward the vaccine. Hesitancy in the underserved remains a major challenge to overcome while implementing the vaccine. The data gathered by ACCORD will be shared through its network of community leaders and health partners in nine counties to assist in ensuring that accurate and reliable information reaches all North Carolinians.
The ACCORD program is a multidisciplinary project supported by the NC Policy Collaboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with funding from the North Carolina Coronavirus Relief Fund established by the North Carolina General Assembly.