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.
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鈥檛 the only barrier these populations were facing.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 interesting to us is that it鈥檚 almost like a culture of not leaving their neighborhood,鈥� she said.
Kent State geography professor Jen Mapes supports this targeted approach.
鈥淏ut when you get out into some of the areas that are densely populated but are highly residential and don鈥檛 have a lot of services otherwise, then that鈥檚 going to be challenging as well,鈥� she said.
Skoda hopes the new pop-up sites in places such as and the , 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.
鈥淎nd now we鈥檝e 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,鈥� she said.
No appointment is necessary to get vaccinated at a pop-up site.
