Leprino Foods Offered COVID-19 Vaccines to Eligible UNC Employees
March 25, 2021
On the heels of the state moving into vaccination Phase 1B.4 on March 19, the local Leprino Foods plant in Greeley contacted the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) offering doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination that were unspoken for during the plant’s March 20 on-site vaccine clinic event. The doses were offered to eligible UNC community members who qualified for the state’s mandated vaccine Phase 1B.4; this phase includes higher-education faculty, staff and university-employed students who work in student-facing environments.
UNC’s Student Health Center contacted all eligible faculty, staff and university-employed students about the unexpected opportunity through the university’s COVID-19 Digest newsletter. Vaccinations were provided on a first come, first served basis to hundreds of UNC community members, who will return to receive their second doses during the week of April 12.
“We are very grateful for the generosity that Leprino Foods has shown to our UNC community, providing their limited additional supply of vaccine doses to our student-facing employees who are eligible under Phase 1B.4,” UNC President Andy Feinstein said. “With vaccines currently in high demand, the doses offered by Leprino Foods to our UNC community members are greatly appreciated. Our local partnerships in Greeley and Weld County strengthen our institution, and Leprino Foods’ generous support will help ensure the health and safety of our employees and prepare us for a return to normal operations in the fall.”
Prior to the Phase 1B.4 vaccine designation, Feinstein and other higher education CEOs across the state advocated to the Governor’s Office, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Colorado Department of Higher Education that faculty members — particularly those who are teaching classes, labs and studios in person during the spring 2021 semester — should be elevated on the state’s prioritization order to immediately follow or be vaccinated in tandem with early childhood, primary and secondary school teachers.
Other Opportunities to Get Vaccinated
UNC’s Student Health Center (SHC) is administering a limited number of COVID-19 vaccine doses to eligible campus community members on a weekly basis.
Eligible individuals are encouraged to contact their health-care provider and other organizations that are administering vaccine doses to receive the vaccine as soon as possible.
The state is also relying on current and soon-to-open vaccine sites to administer vaccines. The Ranch (5280 Arena Circle, Loveland), Colorado’s only Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-supported mass vaccination site, will open to the public starting the week of March 29 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Eligible individuals can make an appointment at The Ranch, or another provider, through larimerhealth.secure.force.com/Vaccine or by calling 970-498-5500.
If you still have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, call the State of Colorado’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-877-CO VAX CO (1-877-268-2926), which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week with answers available in multiple languages.
Visit the state's Vaccine FAQ page for more information
—Written by Katie Corder and Deanna Herbert
