Utilizing Foot Teams: Reaching the Unreachable During a Hepatitis A Outbreak

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The County of San Diego experienced the third largest hepatitis A outbreak nationwide that began in November 2016, with 580 cases and 20 deaths as of February 7, 2018. This outbreak disproportionately impacted the local homeless and illicit drug using population, resulting in declaration of a local health emergency on September 1, 2017. The emergency ended on January 23, 2018. Vaccination is a critical tool for combating this outbreak, yet accessing the populations at highest risk was a great challenge. As a result, public health nurses adapted the strategy of static vaccination sites to include new field “foot teams.” “The Hepatitis A Foot Team Program” allowed nurses to travel on foot, often accompanied by law enforcement and/or homeless outreach workers, to vaccinate individuals who may be otherwise reluctant to seek medical care or vaccination at service delivery sites. First piloted in early May 2017, 1,805 foot team outings alone resulted in 4,646 vaccines delivered in the County of San Diego.