Mobile unit will help county’s most vulnerable
The idea of a mobile vaccination unit for the Hays County Local Health Department (HCLHD) surfaced in 2018. The staff was looking for ways to improve vaccination rates for children in vulnerable communities and felt a mobile unit would allow the health department to connect with more community members who were unable and/or reluctant to come to the clinic.
Countywide Director Tammy Crumley said, “I loved the idea! Everyone was on board with the concept. I promised staff to do whatever I could to make the mobile unit a reality.”
Identifying a funding source – upwards of $280,000 – was the challenge.
When COVID-19 arrived in Hays County in early 2020, HCLHD secured funding for things like additional staff and mass vaccine clinics. According to Crumley, one source was a grant from the St. David’s Foundation. That organization provided the department with $100,000 for vaccine distribution and administrative support in June 2021.
Then in July, federal COVID-related funding became available, which helped offset the costs originally intended to be covered by the St. David’s Foundation grant. Crumley said she went back to the foundation to alter the original request.
“The health department requested using 100% of the St. David’s Foundation grant toward the purchase of a mobile vaccine unit and the foundation approved the budget amendment,” she said.
But the additional funding needed – roughly $180,000 – was still elusive.
Hays County Commissioner Dr. Michelle Cohen, Pct. 2, took office in January 2023. It was not long after that when County Commissioners Lon Shell, Pct. 3, and Walt Smith, Pct. 4, offered Cohen $200,000 each of their remaining portions of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, which was a federal grant for COVID-related expenses and revenue losses due to the pandemic.
According to the Hays County Budget Office, each member of the Hays County Commissioners Court originally received an allotment of funds, approximately $8.5 million per precinct and $10.7 million for county-wide projects, to be distributed as they deemed most appropriate and with court approval.
Cohen then offered a portion of that funding, totaling $90,413, to the health department to help cover the remaining cost of the mobile vaccination unit.
“I knew I wanted to help bring that mobile vaccination clinic to fruition,” she said. “Having the ability to use ARPA funds for something that will allow us to bring COVID-19 vaccinations and other types of vaccines to the most vulnerable in our community was a no-brainer.”
She collaborated with Commissioner Debbie Gonzales-Ingalsbe, Pct. 1, who also contributed $90,413 from her allotted ARPA funds towards the mobile vaccine van.
“Helping Dr. Cohen with the funding for the health department just made sense,” she said. “This kind of resource will be a real asset to Hays County.”
The final purchasing decision was issued by the court on February 27, 2023. What happens next? Crumley said she placed the order, but it will take some time to receive the new vehicle.
“We reviewed all of the van specs then determined the make and model we wanted to purchase,” she said. “It will be several months since this is a vehicle that has yet to be built.”
She said she knows the waiting is tough.
“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,” she said.
# # #
Learn more about the Hays County Local Health Department, including our Community Health Assessment, on our webpage: https://hayscountytx.com/departments/local-health-department/.