Demand an Equitable Mass Vaccination Site for Lancaster County. [THREAD]

These days, everywhere we look in the media we see images of large COVID-19 vaccination clinics. People in line in a convention center in Minnesota. Cars lined up in Florida. It’s good to see so many people getting vaccinated against this deadly virus across the country.

But there are no images of mass vaccination clinics in our own Lancaster County. Why is that? Because our County Commissioners and their healthcare partners just started actively planning for this endeavor in January.

They have known for multiple months that the vaccines were on their way. They have watched our COVID infection rates climb higher and higher. Yet, the Commissioners waited to develop concrete plans.

As vaccine production ramps up and we anticipate that more doses will soon start arriving, we need to make sure that Lancaster County has a solid, equitable plan to vaccinate every Lancastrian who wants to receive it.

Now is the time to demand that our County Commissioners create what our community actually needs from a mass vaccination site in Lancaster County.

Our County Commissioners must make every effort to ensure equity—that this site will work for every member of our community.

Some groups are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, more likely to contract it and to suffer greater medical consequences. This is true for people of color and also for people with disabilities. Our Commissioners must ensure there is equitable accommodation for everyone.

This is a matter of life and death to valued members of our families and community. We cannot allow the mass vaccination site to overlook anyone! With that in mind, here are things we need from the mass vaccination site:

What Lancaster County needs for equitable & effective vaccinations:

- Announcements and information about vaccination options made in multiple ways—TV, radio, newspaper, print mailings, and social media

What Lancaster County needs for equitable & effective vaccinations:

- Multi-pronged outreach and education campaigns to combat vaccine hesitancy (e.g., involving community organizations including churches and county social service employees who make home visits)

What Lancaster County needs for equitable & effective vaccinations:

- Centrally located with easy access and plenty of parking
- Conveniently accessible by public transportation
- Options for either walk-up or drive-through waiting lines

What Lancaster County needs for equitable & effective vaccinations:

- Accommodations for disabled individuals
- Ability to register by phone, in person, or online
- Open 7 days a week, with evening options too
- Translators with medical knowledge available upon request

Please call or email our County Commissioners to demand they ensure equity in the mass vaccination site they’re planning. Let’s hold them accountable for making this mass vaccination site accessible for all of us!

Call or email the office of the County Commissioners: [email protected] 717-299-8300

Engage with them via them on Twitter:
Commissioner Craig Lehman: @CommCraigLehman
Commissioner Josh Parsons: @CommissionerJP
Commissioner Ray D'Agostino: @CommissionerRD

And, as always, you can also submit a letter to the editor on the topic: https://lancasteronline.com/site/forms/online_services/letter/