ASHEVILLE, NC – September 6, 2022 – The Buncombe County Department of Health & Human Services (BCDHHS) will partner with 103.3 AshevilleFM and The Getaway River Bar to hold a monkeypox vaccination clinic today September 14th from 6-10 PM at the bar’s location at 790 Riverside Drive in Asheville. The BCDHHS Mobile Team will administer the vaccines. According to Public Health Director Stacie Saunders, some doses of the new COVID-19 booster doses will also be available at the event.
Vaccinations to protect against monkeypox are now available for:
- Anyone who had close contact in the past two weeks with someone who has been diagnosed with monkeypox
- Gay or bisexual men or transgender individuals who report any of the following in the last 90 days:
- Having multiple sex partners or anonymous sex
- Being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection
- Receiving medications to prevent HIV infection (PrEP)
One of the strongest needs of the Buncombe County Department of Health & Human Services has been to have an equity-focused vaccination effort to reach underserved rural communities and populations. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been additional federal funding for public health at the community level. As a result, the Department has recently used some of these funds to purchase a mobile van and hire a team of 6 people including nurses and emergency medical technicians. According to Stacie Saunders at the September 6th Buncombe County Commissioners’ Briefing, the Team is ramping up their vaccination efforts throughout western North Carolina by having 6 previous monkeypox clinics and scheduling 3 more in the future. They are planning to expand their vaccination efforts to COVID-19 boosters, primary COVID vaccination and flu shots in addition to other types of vaccinations. Further expansion will include testing for different illnesses like COVID-19 and having health outreach clinics. At the recent Buncombe County media question & answer session on September 7th, Stacie Saunders remarked that it is important to the Department “for equity purposes have to take services on the road.”
Listen to the full report below:
Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, healthyasheville@ashevillefm.org
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