Mobile vaccination clinic coming to Hays County

HAYS COUNTY — A mobile vaccination clinic will soon roll through Hays County to give residents an opportunity to get vaccinated without having to travel far or schedule an in-office visit.

According to a county press release, the Hays County Local Health Department (HCLHD) first began discussing the idea of a mobile vaccination clinic back in 2018. Staff was looking for ways to improve vaccination rates for children in vulnerable communities and felt that a mobile unit would allow the department to reach and connect with more community members who were unable or reluctant to come into a clinic.

However, such a clinic comes with a cost — upwards of $280,000. Identifying a funding source came as a challenge until COVID-19 hit the county in early 2020.

According to Director of Countywide Operations Tammy Crumley, a potential source of funding came from a grant through the St. David’s Foundation, which ended up providing the department with $100,000 for vaccine distribution and administrative support in June 2021.

That July, federal COVID-related funding became available, which helped offset costs that were originally intended to be covered by the grant. The original request to the foundation was then altered to ask that 100% of the grant go toward the purchase of the mobile clinic, which was approved.

However, $180,000 in additional funding was still needed. This is where Pct. 2 Commissioner Michelle Cohen stepped in.

Cohen, who officially took office in January 2023, has been in the forefront of expanding COVID vaccinations to the Hays County community. Cohen said that after being elected commissioner, one of the first things she did was meet with county departments to understand their successes, challenges and how she could best support them. Through those conversations, she learned about the mobile clinic from Crumley.

“When I learned of the opportunity, it was a no brainer,” Cohen said. “I thought we could’ve really used that during the peak of COVID vaccinations to reach rural areas of Hays or communities of color that may not have had that direct access.”

According to the Hays County Budget Office, in light of COVID-19, each commissioner received approximately $8.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for their precinct and $10.7 million for countywide projects to be distributed as they deemed most appropriate and with court approval.

After learning that the project was on hold due to lack of funding, Cohen asked for a portion of her precinct’s remaining allotted ARPA funds — $90,413 —  to go toward the clinic, which was approved.

Her effort was not a solo one. Fellow commissioners Lon Shell and Walt Smith each donated $200,000 of their ARPA funds to Cohen to go toward the clinic and commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe matched Cohen’s $90,413 from her allotted ARPA funds.

“For the other commissioners to give me that funding, I was very grateful for that,” Cohen said. “I was able to start my term with a really huge milestone, which was that van. I know just from the work that I've done previously that it's going to make a huge impact for people. I’m super proud of that.”

“It’s a huge deal for me, just because I've been so close to this initiative of trying to get people vaccinated, trying to get them access,” she added. “When we finally voted to purchase this, for me, it was huge. It was a huge milestone. I know what it’s going to do for folks who don't have that access. To have that kind of presence in our county, to have a mobile vaccination van to go to community outreach events or any of the public health outreach events — to have that as an option is a huge thing for us.”

The final purchasing decision was issued by the court on Feb. 27. While the health department is still working to develop the program, the clinic will ultimately be able to hit communities far and wide, big and small in Hays County with COVID-19 vaccines and other immunizations like flu shots.

The order for the van has been placed, but it will take some time before the county receives it.

“We reviewed all of the van specs, then determined the make and model we wanted to purchase,” Crumley said. “It will be several months since this is a vehicle that has yet to be built … In the end, though, this mobile unit will allow us to provide even better service to our residents and help improve our overall health within the county. And that is worth the wait.”