SALT LAKE CITY – The Salt Lake County Department of Health brought the vaccine directly to those most in need on Wednesday. Outreach teams use two new mobile health centers to administer COVID-19 vaccines. On Wednesday, they set up a neighborhood vaccination clinic in the western part of Salt Lake City.
Large recreational vehicles are equipped with medical equipment. County health workers use mobile units to set up driving clinics and reach underserved populations.
“I had pressure at home to get it, so I got it here,” said Michael Kauffman, who this morning rolled up his sleeve for the shot. “The opportunity arose and I took it.”
Kauffman said the pandemic caused a fever in his cabin: the year has been too quiet and has been heartbreaking. He knew how to talk about the neighborhood clinic and pre-registered for his vaccination.
“This is almost where we got to do the college exams during the peak time and who wants to get sick and die?” Kauffman said.
Now that you have had your first dose?
“I feel very relieved. I’ll feel better in three weeks,” she said as she begins to feel more comfortable returning to a more normal lifestyle.
With the mobile units, county health workers bring COVID-19 vaccines to neighborhoods and people who may not have the opportunity to get the vaccine farther from home.
“Many community members feel more comfortable in their neighborhoods,” said Lorena Riffo-Jenson, a spokeswoman for the Salt Lake County Department of Health.
Most days they are conducting similar vaccination clinics somewhere in the county.
“There was a large group of members of our community who were affected here,” Riffo-Jenson said, indicating that zip codes in this neighborhood had higher rates of COVID-19 at times during the pandemic. The shots keep the state vaccine line moving.
“The mobile van is here to make our setup much faster and make it more accessible to everyone,” Riffo-Jenson said.
The more people we get vaccinated, the faster we can overcome this issue.
–Jonathan Vial, community health worker
Jonathan Vial, a community health worker who volunteered at the clinic, said, “The more people we get vaccinated, the faster we can get over this thing.”
As a member of the Hispanic community, Vial said it’s important to get involved and let people know you can trust the vaccine and the people who give it.
“I think that’s huge,” he said. “There’s a lot of misinformation and sometimes minority communities don’t trust some of these things, so it’s important that they feel comfortable when they’re here and that someone speaks to them in their own language.”
Right now, mobile health centers are being used in specific places, giving prey to people who have previously registered. There are no vaccinations on foot.
“It just makes it more accessible and then more people can be vaccinated,” Riffo-Jenson said.
Mobile health centers cost approximately $ 250,000 each. Salt Lake County bought them with federal money provided through the CARES Act.
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Jed Boal