LISTEN: What’s Next After Oregon’s Mass Vaccination Sites Close Down?
“The mass vaccine events I think served really well when you’re trying to get a high volume of people and people who are pretty good at navigating healthcare themselves, and are going to pro-actively book, and have high demand,” says Max Janasik, CEO of One Community Health. “But when you get into folks who have manual labor jobs, can’t take off of work, you have to do things differently.”
Image: Gabriel Granillo
We are about 2 percent, or 60,000 people, away from reaching the state’s 70 percent threshold. That is, when 70 percent of the state’s residents 16 and older have at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has said she will lift most statewide restrictions—including indoor capacity limits, mask mandates, and physical distancing requirements—and reopen the state’s economy. Part of what’s gotten us this close to that 70 percent figure: Oregon’s mass vaccination sites at the Oregon Convention Center, the drive-thru sites at the Portland International Airport, and the Hillsboro Stadium.
But with all three sites closing this month, what does that mean for the future of vaccinations in Oregon? What are the next steps?
This week on Footnotes, the closure of Oregon’s mass vaccination sites, the continued health equity and access issues facing our state, and the role community health clinics will play moving forward toward a post-pandemic future.
Guests
- Max Janasik, CEO of One Community Health
- Lorena Mosqueda, health and wellness director at Latino Network
- Mara Gross, interim executive director at the Coalition of Community Health Clinics
About Footnotes
Every Friday we break down our most important stories with the writers, contributors, and editors who crafted them. Hosted by Portland Monthly associate editor Gabriel Granillo, Footnotes provides clarity on complex stories with intimate and informative interviews.
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