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Published Online: 8 February 2023

Mobile Vaccine Clinics for Patients With Serious Mental Illness and Health Care Workers in Outpatient Mental Health Clinics

Abstract

Objective:

People with serious mental illness are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 but face barriers to vaccinations. The authors describe the implementation of a mobile vaccine clinic at an outpatient mental health clinic for patients and health care workers to increase vaccination rates.

Methods:

In late 2021, mobile vaccine clinics were held in collaboration with a local pharmacy to provide COVID-19 and influenza vaccines to patients and health care workers. Participants in one clinic were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their experience.

Results:

Of 69 individuals who completed the questionnaire, 96% received the COVID-19 booster and 17% received the seasonal flu vaccine. Most patients and health care workers reported that the mobile vaccine clinic was easily accessible and preferable and that they would recommend it. Moreover, the mobile vaccine clinic was cost-effective.

Conclusions:

Mobile vaccine clinics can improve vaccine access for patients and health care workers in community mental health settings and can be cost-effective.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric Services
Go to Psychiatric Services
Psychiatric Services
Pages: 982 - 986
PubMed: 36751907

History

Received: 8 September 2022
Revision received: 8 January 2023
Accepted: 12 January 2023
Published online: 8 February 2023
Published in print: September 01, 2023

Keywords

  1. Covid-19
  2. Mobile vaccine clinic
  3. Serious mental illness
  4. Health disparity
  5. Outpatient mental health clinic
  6. Prevention

Authors

Affiliations

Manjola U. Van Alphen, M.D., Ph.D. [email protected]
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston.
Carol Lim, M.D., M.P.H.
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston.
Oliver Freudenreich, M.D., F.A.C.L.P.
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Notes

Send correspondence to Dr. Van Alphen ([email protected]).
The findings of this intervention were presented at the 10th Annual Massachusetts General Hospital Public and Community Psychiatry Spring Symposium, March 23, 2022, Boston.

Author Contributions

Drs. Van Alphen and Lim contributed equally to this report.

Funding Information

Dr. Freudenreich reports receiving research grants from Alkermes, Janssen, and Otsuka; consultant honoraria from Janssen, Integral, and American Psychiatric Association; medical honoraria from Elsevier and Medscape; and royalties from Wolters Kluwer, Springer Verlag, and UpToDate. The other authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

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