On-the-go clinics will distribute vaccines
Florida sending units to underserved communities
Amid concerns over a lack of equity in vaccine distribution, the state of Florida is soon sending mobile units to help some underserved elderly communities in Palm Beach
County. They’ll also set out to vaccinate older residents who feel uncomfortable leaving their homes over COVID19 fears.
These new on-the-go clinics are the latest in South Florida to start traveling to provide shots to the public, heading from
West Boca to West Palm Beach. At least 12 apartment complexes and independent living facilities are scheduled to be visited by the state’s mobile units within the next two weeks, according to Palm Beach County.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management will distribute the vaccine to senior residents at these facilities:
◼Belle Glade: Glades Pioneer Terrace
◼West Boca: Shirley H. Gould House and Weinberg House
◼Delray Beach: Groves of Delray and Delray Housing Authority
◼Lake Worth Beach: Lake Worth Towers
◼West Palm Beach: Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior Complex, St. Andrews Residence, St. James Residence, Villa Regina, Wedgewood Apartments and Windsor Park
The county said these centers were selected through their association with the Department of
Housing and Urban Development, an agency tasked with providing fair and equal housing opportunities. But the state didn’t respond Friday to questions about the distribution plan, so it’s unclear how many doses will be administered at each complex.
Still, officials view it as a boon to be getting the vaccine to more people. Over the past two months, Palm Beach County commissioners have raised concerns regarding a lack of equity over the vaccine distribution in the county.
Some county commissioners had criticized the state over its partnership with Publix, which they said left poorer communities without access to the vaccine.
Residents living in Belle Glade and along Lake Okeechobee don’t have a nearby Publix pharmacy despite much of the area having more than 30% of people in poverty, according to an analysis by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
In response to the criticism, the state opened a temporary vaccination center three weeks ago in
Pahokee, one of the low-income communities of the Glades region along the southeastern shore of the lake.
Palm Beach County also has struggled to vaccinate its Black and Hispanic residents. Of the over 261,000 people who have received at least one vaccine dose, just 4% percent are Black and 4.5% are Hispanic.
Palm Beach County has begun to open more distribution sites over the past two weeks, including a mass distribution location at the South Florida Fairgrounds near West Palm Beach. The county also opened a site in Palm Beach Gardens recently.
Meanwhile, the federal government has ramped up its vaccination efforts in the state. Earlier this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced its planning to open four mass vaccination sites in Florida, including one at Miami Dade College’s North Campus. Around each site, two mobile units will go into nearby underserved areas and give out 500 vaccinations a day.