Community-based COVID-19 Vaccination Points of Dispensing Sites: Adapting to Needs

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) Points of Dispensing (PODs) transformed its large mass vaccination sites that solely provided COVID-19 vaccinations, to 7 community PODs. These sites served as a trusted community resource in specific underserved communities and created an accessible “one-stop shop” for nearby residents to receive community health services. In addition to providing COVID-19 vaccinations, supplemental services were offered including flu and mpox vaccinations, COVID-19 test kit distributions, rapid COVID-19 onsite antigen testing and therapeutics referrals, a produce pick-up program, and additional psychosocial resources such as on-site mental health workshops and other enrollment services. Community outreach and vaccinations on-the-spot at nearby local venues via our “Vax-on-the-Go"(VOTG) initiative engaged the hard-to-reach and vaccine hesitant populations. As of early February 2023, LACDPH’s community PODs have administered over 182,000 COVID-19 vaccines, more than 40,000 mpox vaccines, and over 19,000 flu vaccines. In addition, greater than 6,500 rapid COVID-19 antigen tests were administered with more than 560 residents referred for Therapeutics and about 8,400 households were served via the produce pick-up program.