What type of storage equipment does the VFC program require enrolled providers to have to keep VFC vaccine in their practices?
VFC providers must have appropriate equipment that can store and assist with maintenance of proper conditions of vaccines. Vaccine storage units must be selected carefully and used properly. If a provider does not have the appropriate storage units, the grantee must work with the provider to obtain storage units that are acceptable. Refrigerators without freezers, and stand-alone freezers, may be better at maintaining the required temperatures. However, a combination refrigerator/freezer unit sold for home use is acceptable for vaccine storage if the refrigerator and freezer compartments each have a separate external door. Refrigerators or freezers used for vaccine storage must comply with the following requirements: • Be able to maintain required vaccine storage temperatures year-round; • Be large enough to hold the year’s largest inventory; • At a minimum, have a working certified thermometer inside each storage compartment. Grantees may require VFC providers to have a calibrated cer
