Community-Based COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics in Medically Underserved Neighborhoods to Improve Access and Equity, Philadelphia, 2021–2022

Abstract

Vaccination remains key to reducing the risk of COVID-19–related severe illness and death. Because of historic medical exclusion and barriers to access, Black communities have had lower rates of COVID-19 vaccination than White communities. We describe the efforts of an academic medical institution to implement community-based COVID-19 vaccine clinics in medically underserved neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over a 13-month period (April 2021–April 2022), the initiative delivered 9038 vaccine doses to community members, a majority of whom (57%) identified as Black. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print October 27, 2022:e1–e5. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307030 )

Vaccines for all: A formative evaluation of a multistakeholder community-engaged COVID-19 vaccine outreach clinic for migrant communities

“…For example, Marquez et al utilized “community-academic-public health partnerships” to deliver a “community-centered” vaccine strategy, including a series of neighbourhood vaccine clinics, which successfully reduced barriers to COVID-19 vaccination for the Latinx community in San Francisco [53] . Similarly, in Philadelphia, multistakeholder community-based COVID-19 vaccine clinics were implemented in medically underserved areas to reduce access barriers and improve health equity for Black community members [54] .…”

Bringing COVID‐19 vaccine to medically underserved populations utilizing a community‐guided mobile vaccine program

“…The initial approach employed by the MVP involved pop‐up vaccination events, which comprised 1 to 2‐day sessions hosted by community partner agencies. Pop‐up vaccination clinics have proven highly effective in facilitating community‐based vaccine distribution (Klusaritz et al., 2022). These events were particularly sought after by the MVP's community partners.…”