Washington: Department of Health Mobile Vaccine Team

Jurisdiction

Washington

Strategy

Provide homebound individuals with accessible vaccination services through a mobile vaccine clinic.

Challenge

When COVID-19 vaccines were first introduced in December 2020, specific populations of people faced challenges in accessing them. People who could not travel due to physical and mental health reasons, lack of access to transportation, or other reasons were very limited in their vaccination options.

Solution

The Washington Department of Health set up a Mobile Vaccine Team to provide home-based vaccination services to those who otherwise would not have access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Requests for home-based vaccination services are sent to the Washington Department of Health through a confidential online request form. Requests are sorted by county and sent to the appropriate partnering local health jurisdiction or handled by the Washington Department of Health mobile team. A logistical coordinator is assigned to each trip build to ensure proper organization. Trip preparations include communicating with the requestors, preparing paperwork in the appropriate language, providing interpreters as needed, medical record verification, and formulating plans of approach to ensure that trust is maintained. A field team, consisting of a nurse and the logistical coordinator, meets people in their homes or in a comfortable location to administer the vaccine.

This practice began in March 2021 and is ongoing. The Mobile Vaccine Team completes 1-3 trips per week. Funding for this program primarily comes from FEMA.

Outcome

From March 2021 through May 2022, 692 home-based vaccines were administered at 548 homes in Washington. This promising practice allowed those who otherwise may not have access to the COVID-19 vaccine to receive it. Further, receiving the vaccine at home allowed some to travel outside the home more often, particularly those immunocompromised. A factor of success for this program is the ability to individualize the home visit to the needs of those being vaccinated, along with the ability for the Mobile Vaccine Team to travel to remote areas of the state.

Supplemental Materials