We have a small office with limited space for a vaccine storage unit. If dormitory-style refrigerators are not an option, what can we use?

A “dormitory-style” refrigerator is a small combination refrigerator/freezer unit that is outfitted with one exterior door and an evaporator plate (cooling coil), which is usually located inside an icemaker compartment (freezer) within the refrigerator. This type of unit has severe temperature control and stability issues. However, there are compact refrigerators or freezers noted as “pharmaceutical grade” or “purpose-built for vaccine storage” that have been engineered to maintain even temperatures throughout the unit, and these may meet the needs of a small office. In general, the unit you select must be large enough to store the year’s largest vaccine inventory without crowding and to store water bottles (in a refrigerator) and frozen coolant packs (in a freezer) to minimize temperature fluctuations. One way to assure that the unit you purchase will reliably maintain proper vaccine storage temperatures is to look for a unit labeled as meeting the NSF/ANSI 456 certification standard for vaccine storage. This voluntary certification indicates that the model has been tested and certified to maintain proper storage conditions under a range of normal clinic conditions.