As people become eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, one obstacle they may face is finding a vaccination center close to home.
FEMA is working alongside the CDC and other federal partners to help state, territorial, local and tribal partners minimize these types of challenges so that everyone who wants to be vaccinated can be. Mobile Vaccination Centers are one way we are making this happen.
Mobile and pop-up centers are sites that can be set up anywhere with the support of entities such as local public health clinics, health care providers, pharmacies, community and faith-based organizations, employers, private sector vaccinators and federal resources.
Some of these centers are on wheels — such as inside of a trailer that can drive from location to location. Other centers are pop-ups that can be set up and taken down in any building, often using local resources and expertise.
These mobile and pop-up sites bring vaccination centers closer to the communities and people that need them: they meet people where they work, live and socialize. They tackle the challenges that prevent people from receiving a vaccination:
- Traveling distance.
- Limited access to medical providers or vaccine centers.
- Lack of mass transportation.
- Mobility issues.
- Work and family care schedules.
- Lack of vaccine confidence.
The mobile centers take on these challenges by entering hard-to-reach areas and targeting specific populations such as high-risk groups, essential workers and rural communities.
FEMA has already worked with federal and local partners to hold more than 500 mobile events. We continue to accelerate these efforts by providing funding, equipment and supplies.
FEMA will continue to partner with federal, state, local, tribal and territorial partners to support and accelerate mobile vaccination centers. These sites are essential to our efforts to make the vaccine accessible to all.
For more information on vaccine equitability and distribution, visit the vaccine support page.
