On-the-go clinics key as mass vaccination sites shut down
If you’re looking for a convenient location to get the COVID19 vaccine in Palm Beach County this summer, it might get easier to do so — depending on where you live and what day it is.
At the end of May, the Palm Beach County Health Care District will adjust its vaccination efforts from its county-run mass vaccination sites toward running three mobile health clinics that will travel across the county.
The district’s plans still are taking shape with no specifics yet on where the clinics will go. But a spokeswoman said it hopes to announce scheduled visits in advance to raise awareness and attract more walk-ups. Information on the Health Care District’s vaccine efforts will be provided at http://vaccine.hcdpbc.org.
Darcy Davis, CEO of the Palm Beach County Health Care District, recently said its three county-run sites would close by the end of May as interest in the vaccine has begun to wane among younger people.
The three county-run sites are the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach, South County Civic Center in Delray Beach and Burns Road Community Center in Palm Beach Gardens. Those sites have been running at 50% capacity due to a decreased demand.
The mobile clinics include a pair of 38-foot clinics, which are
“We feel the best way to reach some of the targeted population of those with vaccine hesitancy is to work on a grassroots level.”
A Palm Beach County Health Care District spokeswoman
staffed by a nurse practitioner, a registered nurse, two medical assistants and two registration specialists. Each mobile unit will be capable of providing up to 500 shots per day.
The plan is for the mobile units to begin making their way through Palm Beach County by the end of May, a Health Care District spokeswoman said. The clinics will be open to walk-ups, eliminating the need for appointments.
Davis said she thinks they’ll have a better shot at vaccinating “hesitant populations” by taking the vaccines directly to them. The plan will include compiling a ZIP code map of the eligible age groups and target the under-vaccinated communities.
“We feel the best way to reach some of the targeted population of those with vaccine hesitancy is to work on a grassroots level,” a Palm Beach County Health Care District spokeswoman said. “By partnering and coordinating with community leaders and leaders of faith-based groups who are trusted in their communities and have a concentrated group of individuals interested in being vaccinated.”
While a large portion of Palm Beach County’s senior population has received the vaccine, that interest hasn’t translated to younger people in the county. The Health Care District opened up 16,000 new appointments on Tuesday, but had filled only 6,000 of them, Davis said.
Burns Road Community Center will offer firstdose shots though April 22, South County Civic Center through April 24 and South Florida Fairgrounds through May 6. The three sites will offer the final second-dose shots on May 13, May 15, and May 27, respectively.