As underserved communities were falling behind in vaccination rates, Mobile Health partnered with the State of Virginia to put their vaccination efforts on wheels. Residents lacking the technology and transportation necessary to secure an appointment needed the vaccine to come to them. Mobile Health quickly constructed a 31-day plan to reach a population of 329,780 Virginia residents.
BRINGING SHOTS TO ARMS
While Virginia’s vaccination rate reached 55% in June 2021, the rates of many smaller pockets of the state remained under 30%. Virginia had to change the mentality of ‘arms coming to shots’ to ‘shots coming to arms.’ That’s why the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) chose Mobile Health as their partner. Mobile Health knew that reaching more people meant bringing the mobile fleet wherever Virginians needed the vaccine to go: parks, town squares, churches, fire stations, recreation centers, apartment complexes.
“We are offering clinics all around the county, in the rural areas, in the villages, and the geographically dispersed,” said Sarah Puckett, Prince Edward Assistant County Administrator and Emergency Management Coordinator. “Our mission has been to help identify the locations for the clinics to make sure that our citizens had the options.”
Mobile Health made sure these options gave everyone the opportunity to get the vaccine, covering 4,624 square miles of Virginia. Not only did the occupational health provider offer the vaccine at convenient locations, but expanded the hours of operation to ensure those getting off work, those with weekend jobs, and everyone in-between had access.
COMMON PURPOSE, ENORMOUS IMPACT
“This project was clearly anchored in community, relationships, service, and a willingness to both learn and help,” said Mobile Health COO Troy Cassel. “This value alignment between Mobile Health, the State of Virginia, and VDEM leadership was key to success and something we’re extremely proud of. The challenges with COVID vaccination are immense, but when we stacked hands on the same core values, we were able to make an enormous impact.”
