Madison Pop-Up Vaccine Clinics Aim To Tackle Racial Disparities

MADISON, WI— Over the past six months, the staff at Alliant Energy Center has administered nearly 83,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The center is set to close next week and Dane County is celebrating this feat as it closes in on the 70 percent vaccination mark.

While masks come off, restaurants fill up and large-scale vaccine clinics close down, data showing large swaths of the Dane County population remain unvaccinated prove health care disparities persist.

To address these gaps, community and public health organizations are taking a grassroots approach this summer, focusing on educational outreach, smaller pop-ups and mobile clinics.

According to state data, only 34 percent of Black residents and just over half of Asian residents have received at least one dose—compared to white residents, who are vaccinated at a rate of 62 percent, and American Indians at 83 percent. The latter were hit hard by the virus but have mobilized distribution efforts.

Mobilizing Efforts

Tess Ellen, Vaccine Deputy for Public Health Madison and Dane County, said the state health department data, should be taken with a grain of salt as it can sometimes lag.

However, these disparities are real, prevalent and driving the county’s efforts to become more present in communities that are home to people of color, she said. And that is where mobile clinics come into play.

By converting grocery stores, community centers, parks or schools into temporary vaccination sites, not only does it bring the vaccine closer to people, but it also allows folks to come by and ask questions about the vaccine’s safety, efficacy and side effects, among other concerns, Ellen said.

“When we go out for mobile vaccine sites, we also make sure that we bring people that can just sit and answer questions about vaccines. Even if we don't vaccinate somebody at one of our mobile sites, hopefully we can give them reliable information, while we're out and about,” Ellen said.

These clinics are especially effective when public health groups, such as African American Health Network of Dane County, partner up with long-standing, trusted local organizations like the Urban League of Greater Madison. This builds trust—not only for the vaccination process—but also with health care professionals in general, said Eva Vivian, the group's president.

Breaking Down Barriers

Black and other minority populations may have negative relationships and mistrust with the health care system, Vivian said, which can stem from historical traumas, structural racism in the system and misinformation on the internet.

“So what is important is for the health care profession, to develop or build that trust, so that when African Americans as well as other groups identify misinformation, or applying misinformation on the internet, for example, they can go to their health care provider who can help them discern what's accurate and what is not,” Vivian said.

Being able to get vaccinated or get answers to questions from reliable sources in a familiar place can give people a sense of security.

That is the ultimate goal of these pop ups, Ellen said, acknowledging why certain populations may be uncomfortable because of medical racism and trauma, coupled with some of the logistical challenges of obtaining a vaccine.

These logistical challenges, like being able to take off work, find child care or accessing information in a familiar language are all systemic barriers, and these inequalities, seen in COVID-19 vaccination data, do not affect white populations at the same rate, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Removing these barriers was a top priority at the Bayview Foundation, an affordable housing nonprofit in downtown Madison that serves a number of Southeast Asian immigrants and low-income residents. Not having a car, for example, prevented residents from getting vaccinated at mass clinics like Alliant, community programs manager Nate Schorr said.

By partnering up with the county health department and the Benevolent Special Project, a local community health center, the foundation could host its first clinic in early April and bring vaccines directly to the Bayview community center—walking distance from people’s homes.

Building Up Trust

On top of the added convenience, Bayview residents felt more comfortable seeing familiar faces like neighbors and Bayview staff, Schorr said. Especially since, for many Bayview residents, English is not their first language.

All of the volunteers at the clinic were white, so having the clinic within the neighborhood with bilingual people present made the process feel more representative and comfortable for Bayview residents, Schorr said.

It's also milestone moment that people should be able to share with friends and neighbors.

“Getting a shot in your arm after something that has dominated your life for over a year is really an emotional moment,” Schorr said. “Just sharing that with people and having it feel like it is something that they trust was crucial.”

Vivian echoed similar sentiments, saying getting the vaccine from familiar faces or people who look like them can help build trust in the process.

“What was very attractive about the Urban League [clinic] is that you had the Black Firefighters actually there to provide vaccines, and seeing people who look like themselves, or having an opportunity to talk to people within the community that were well known and well trusted, was very important,” Vivian said. “I think that is the success of pop-up clinics.”

Maybe one of the silver linings to all of this, Schorr said, is that it has strengthened the relationship between public health officials and these populations.

So, whether it is setting up a flu shot clinic or addressing another public health matter down the road, these partnerships are established and stronger than before the pandemic.

As for the rest of the summer, Ellen said the next step is to continue these mobile clinics and continue building a presence in the community.