Vancouver, Wash. – Clark County Public Health, Cowlitz County Health & Human Services, Skamania County Community Health and Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 3 continue to develop plans for opening community vaccination sites throughout the three-county region.

The Type 1 incident management team arrived in Clark County Tuesday afternoon, bringing federal, state and local representatives experienced in managing complex incidents to Southwest Washington. The counties and the team are pursuing plans for multiple mobile and fixed-location community vaccination sites.

The team is working to identify locations throughout Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania counties where vaccination sites could be held. These sites will be critical to ensuring high-risk populations in Southwest Washington have access to COVID-19 vaccination.

The intent is to position sites in locations where residents have not been able to easily access vaccine and among communities and populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including communities of color and critical workers in congregate settings.

In the short term, these efforts could include mobile sites at adult family homes that are not enrolled in the federal program that utilizes pharmacies to vaccinate staff and residents in long-term care facilities. As more groups of people become eligible to be vaccinated, mobile sites could be located at food processing facilities, schools or other facilities with critical workers.

Details about the vaccination sites, including locations and opening dates, are not yet available. Updates will be provided in the coming days.

The effort to open community vaccination sites in Southwest Washington will require collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health. Funding support and vaccine supply from the state will be critical for ensuring the success of these sites.

Fairgrounds vaccination site

On Monday, Gov. Jay Inslee announced plans to open a community vaccination site at the Clark County Fairgrounds next week. The Washington State Department of Health is the lead agency organizing the opening of the site.

Clark County and Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 3 secured the fairgrounds site and have provided logical support to the Department of Health. Department of Health will provide additional details about the vaccination site.

Clark County Public Health continues to accept request forms from people who are eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 1a or Phase 1b Tier 1 and need help accessing COVID-19 vaccine. Public Health is connecting those who are eligible with local facilities that have vaccine.

Given the large number of requests and the continued limited vaccine supply, it may take several weeks before those who submitted request forms are contacted by a facility.

For additional information about COVID-19 vaccine eligibility and accessing vaccine, visit the Clark County Public Health website.

CONTACT

Marissa Armstrong
senior communications specialist
Clark County Public Health
marissa.armstrong@clark.wa.gov