Practice Title: Drive Through Vaccination Clinics at Fire & EMS Stations
Department: Delaware General Health District
Size: Medium (Population of 50,000-499,999 people)
State: Ohio
Summary of Practice:
The Delaware Public Health District is a local health district that was established in 1920 and provides services through three field divisions, community health, environmental health, and preventative health. The Health District covers the cities of Delaware, Powell, and Sunbury and the townships and villages of Delaware County, Ohio. The northern portions of the County are primarily rural while the southern portions are primarily suburban and heavily populated. Based on the 2020 Census, Delaware County’s population is 214,124 and is 80% White, 8% Asian, 4% African American, 3% Latino, 4% two or more, <1% other. The median age is 38.8 and the median household income is $107,638; the average household size is 2.73 located in 77,921 households. Age breakdowns of the population are 25.8% born 1999-2016, 23% born 1965-1980, 20.9% born 1981-1998, 6.5% born 2017-present, and 4.3% born before 1945.
To meet the needs of rapid vaccination, the Health District instituted COVID-19 vaccination clinics at Fire/EMS stations that allowed for clinics to be held in diverse locations throughout the community ensuring all regions access to vaccinations. These clinic locations accomplished multiple program goals and helped ensure no portion of Delaware County was over 10 miles from a COVID-19 vaccination clinic offered by the Health District.
The goals of the Fire/EMS station drive through clinics were to 1.) provide safety for limited vaccine supply, 2.) provide convenient locations for all residents of the Health District, 3.) ensure social distancing of patients at the clinic, 4.) protect vaccinators from inclement weather conditions, 5.) streamline clinic design and flow 6.) strengthen public safety partnerships between Public Health and Fire/EMS.
Implementation of the Fire/EMS clinics relied heavily on existing relationship with public safety partners. Fire/EMS Chiefs volunteered their stations which was followed by an onsite meeting between agency leadership. During this planning period a unified strategy was developed for all parties to have a shared understanding of the expectations and execution. Once the strategy was established, training documents were developed and shared with participating staff and volunteers prior to arrival. Upon staff arrival, traffic and clinical stations were established and just-in-time training was provided to staff and volunteers. Once all personnel were sufficiently trained, the clinic was opened and vehicles were allowed to enter the clinic.
In April 2021, a survey was sent to those who utilized a Health District clinic. Over 3,500 responses were received (31% response rate). Results for Fire/EMS clinics and other clinics during this time period were compared and results are as follows (where initial # is Fire/EMS clinics and (#) is other clinics):
Clinic Barriers. Parking 0.5% (2.11%), Language 0% (0%), Physical limitations 0.06% (0.53%), Transportation to and from clinic 0.25% (0.29%), No barriers 99.19% (97.07%).
Driving Distance. 0-5 miles 27.62% (24.48%), 6-10 miles 29.54% (34.7%), 11-15 miles 23.07% (21.25%), 16-30 miles 17.32% (15.53%), 30+ miles 2.46% (4.04%).
Wait Time. 0-15 minutes 65.31% (51.3%), 16-30 minutes 29.66% (39.01%), 31-60 minutes 4.49% (9%), 60+ minutes 0.54% (0.69%).
Drive Through Vaccination Clinics at Fire & EMS Stations
Category
Immunization