With El Paso County ranking last in vaccinations among large Colorado counties, a state mobile vaccination clinic will be bringing vaccinations to the people in east Colorado Springs on Friday.
The clinic will be held at the Durango Barber Shop on Pikes Peak Avenue, where clinic organizers are hoping it will reach a large Hispanic community as well as people who typically can’t reach vaccination clinics because of work.
In El Paso County, about 62% of residents ages 12 and up have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and close to 56% have been fully vaccinated. Just under 9%, or 29,000, of those people are Hispanic.
“Like Colorado, many states are struggling with vaccine uptake in communities of color, which speaks to the need to dismantle long-established systemic barriers to health,” said Jessica Bralish, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment communications director. “We are proud of our outreach efforts, but we know we still need to continue our work to remove barriers and increase access to vaccines in communities of color.”
State mobile vaccination clinics have visited around 1,200 locations throughout the state since they began, Bralish said. Friday’s clinic is being put on by MobileVax, a state mobile vaccination service provider, and will offer doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as well as the one from Pfizer in a limited capacity.
For the state health department, making vaccines accessible is about taking them to the source.
“We must keep trying to reach people where they are, offering as much convenience, access, and information as possible to remove any remaining barriers to vaccination,” Bralish said.
Colorado Springs community health worker Leticia Aranda said she’d suggested the location of the clinic because, along with its neighboring businesses, the barber shop is popular among the Colorado Springs Latino community.
She said the clinic is also timed from 2 to 8 p.m. to attract people after they get off work.
“Where they work, many of the Hispanic community aren’t able to access vaccines between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. because they’re working,” Aranda said. “So I asked … that they bring an opportunity for those that get out of work late to get vaccinated.”
On Friday, the state health department expects at least 200 visitors at the clinic.
To further incentivize people, clinic workers will be awarding $100 gift cards to those who receive first and second doses at the clinic.
Despite being located in an area where the clinic can best reach Hispanic residents, Aranda said the clinic is for anyone who needs to be inoculated.
“Everyone, not just the Hispanic community, can come to get vaccinated. This mobile clinic is for everyone,” she said.
This content was originally published here.
