Meet Them
Where They Are BY FARIN JACOBSEN
Agencies collaborate to vaccinate hard-to-reach populations against COVID-19
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inding a COVID vaccination clinic and registering for an appointment can be confusing even for a well-equipped, tech-savvy individual. But for some people — namely agricultural workers, the elderly, and individuals experiencing homelessness — accessing and navigating government websites to find a vaccine clinic can be impossible without help. With such populations, local officials say, the best solution is to bring the vaccine directly to the patients. “Public Health is keeping those hard-to-reach populations top-of-mind,” said Madera County Public Health Director Sara Bosse. “That’s a really important role of the Department of Public Health is always to figure out how to equitably 30 CENTRAL VALLEY PHYSICIANS
make vaccinations available. But how you do that depends on what resources are available and what partners you have.” Collaboration is a mark of a crisis, with multiple agencies working together for the greater good. Madera County’s Department of Public Health has contracted with community-based organizations and collaborated with the Madera County Farm Bureau and Ag Commissioner as well as other agencies that work closely with the agriculture community to get farmworkers vaccinated. The Madera County Office of Emergency Services was also a huge part of the health department’s response to the pandemic from the beginning, Bosse said. “I think that [the collaboration] has been extremely helpful given the high demand on Public Spring 2021
