State signs contract with Nomi for help with C-19 vaccine distribution

Utah Department of Health officials have signed a contract with Orem-based Nomi Health for COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration throughout the state. Under the contract, which was executed late last month, Utah’s 13 local health departments and other public entities can use Nomi Health to set up and run vaccination sites for a monthly price of $90,000 or $125,000, depending on capacity, plus an average of $22.67 for administering each shot. Nomi has made a vaccination van available for $75,000 a month.

Nomi came under fire early in the pandemic for the high cost of its taxpayer-funded coronavirus testing.

“They had some bumps, for sure, and some hard knocks that they’d been through because of trying to do it so fast and be so responsive. So I think everyone acknowledges that there were some hiccups along the way,” Utah Department of Health Interim Executive Director Rich Saunders said. Saunders said he is now confident in Nomi’s ability to “be agile and responsive to what we need them to do” — especially vaccinating large numbers of Utahns quickly and safely.

Josh Walker, Nomi’s co-founder and chief operating officer, said, “We are very dedicated to being good stewards of public dollars and public programs. We are Utahns ourselves and we’re very interested in making sure that we are being very effective there. We are also applying all the learnings we have had.”

Although Nomi has yet to begin giving vaccinations, the company has had conversations with at least two Utah health agencies.