SALT LAKE CITY – The Salt Lake County Health Department delivered the vaccine directly to those who need it most on Wednesday. Outreach teams use two new mobile health centers to administer COVID-19 vaccinations. On Wednesday, they set up a drive-through neighborhood vaccination clinic on the west side of Salt Lake City.
The large recreational vehicles will be retrofitted with medical equipment. Health workers in the province use the mobile units to set up drive-through clinics and reach disadvantaged populations.
“I got busy at home to get it, so I’ve got it here,” said Michael Kauffman, who rolled up his sleeve for the recording this afternoon. “The opportunity presented itself, and I took it.”
Kauffman said the pandemic gave him cabin fever: the year has been too calm and nerve-racking. He heard about the neighborhood clinic and pre-registered for his vaccination.
“This is pretty much where we came to have our college tests done at the height of the case, and who wants to get sick and die?” Kauffman said.
Now that he’s had his first dose?
“I feel very relieved. I feel better in three weeks,” he said as he began to feel more comfortable about returning to a more normal lifestyle.
With mobile units, health workers in the province are bringing the COVID-19 vaccinations to neighborhoods and individuals who may not have a chance to get the vaccine further from home.
“Many members of the community feel more comfortable around them,” said Lorena Riffo-Jenson, spokesman for the Salt Lake County health department.
They set up similar vaccination clinics somewhere in the province most days.
“There was a large group of our community members who were affected here,” said Riffo-Jenson, who pointed out that postcodes in that neighborhood were sometimes more likely to contain COVID-19 during the pandemic. The shots keep the vaccine line moving statewide.
“The mobile van is just there to make it so much faster for us to make this more accessible to everyone,” said Riffo-Jenson.
The more people we get vaccinated, the faster we can get through this.
–Jonathan Vial, Social Worker
Jonathan Vial, a local health worker who volunteers at the clinic, said, “The more people we get vaccinated, the faster we can get through it.”
As a member of the Hispanic community, Vial said it’s important for him to be involved and let people know they can trust the vaccine and the people administering it.
“I think that’s huge,” he said. “There’s a lot of misinformation and sometimes the minority communities don’t trust some of these things, so it’s important that they feel comfortable being here and have someone talk to them in their own language.”
Currently, the mobile health centers are used in specific locations and provide photos to pre-registered people. There are no common vaccinations.
“It just makes it more accessible and then you can vaccinate more people,” said Riffo-Jenson.
The 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