There’s a lot to consider when rolling out a new vaccine to ensure it is accessible to all. Knowing that the Tidewater region of Virginia is a historically underserved area of the state, our Community Plan of Virginia partnered with local organizations to improve vaccine access through a mobile clinic.
“In the DC market, we partnered with FiveMedicine, a small diverse business, to help us with administration of COVID-19 testing for our testing events,” said Kathlyn Wee, CEO for the Community Plan of Maryland. “When my counterpart in Virginia gave me a call and said they needed help with rolling out the vaccine, I immediately told her about the good experience we had with FiveMedicine.”
Sharing best practices across state lines gave the mobile clinic a running start. Start to finish, the clinic came to life in less than a month thanks to our collaboration with the following organizations:
- Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services
- Virginia Department of Health
- Southeastern Virginia Health System (a local FQHC)
- FiveMedicine (a Black-owned, small diverse business)
- Peninsula Health District
To build awareness, UnitedHealthcare Community & State care coordinators contacted members living in the Tidewater area to let them know about the clinic, answer questions and arrange transportation. Many of these individuals manage chronic health conditions.
During the 2-day event nearly 700 vaccines were given to members of the community. Learn more about the collaboration and the community’s response in this video.
