Ohioans of color are not getting vaccinated at the same rates as other populations. A Kent State University geographer has found mass vaccination locations have not always been convenient for these populations.
Summit County Public Health is moving away from mass vaccination sites by adding vaccine pop-up locations in neighborhoods with dense populations who may not have access to reliable transportation. But Health Commissioner Donna Skoda notes that transportation wasn’t the only barrier these populations were facing.
“What’s interesting to us is that it’s almost like a culture of not leaving their neighborhood,” she said.
Kent State geography professor Jen Mapes supports this targeted approach.
“But when you get out into some of the areas that are densely populated but are highly residential and don’t have a lot of services otherwise, then that’s going to be challenging as well,” she said.
Skoda hopes the new pop-up sites in places such as Buchtel Community Learning Center and the Metro RTA Transit Center, will offer appealing convenience to those who have not yet had a shot.
Skoda says this targeted approach aims to bring vaccines to communities where vaccination rates are low.
“And now we’ve moved from sort of this mass vax site strategy to looking at more of the areas where we have not had as much vaccine uptake for whatever the reason,” she said.
No appointment is necessary to get vaccinated at a pop-up site.
