The Camden County Department of Health and Human Services and its local health-care partners offered free vaccinations to uninsured children and those with Medicaid Part A in Pennsauken and Camden over four days this month.
The initiative, which began on Aug. 21, was aimed at preparing children and their families for the upcoming school year.
“With the back-to-school season approaching, it was essential to help families ensure their children were ready to enter the classroom on the first day of school,” said county Commissioner Virginia Betteridge, liaison to the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Staying up to date on vaccines is crucial, and we were determined to make sure that lack of insurance did not prevent anyone in Camden County from accessing the necessary medical care.”
The initiative kicked off with a mobile vaccination clinic at Voorhees Middle School. For two hours, the clinic adminstered vaccinations to children in kindergarten (ages 4-6), sixth grade (ages 11 and 12) and 12th grade (age 16). Vaccines included DTaP, polio, MMR and meningococcal.
This clinic was specifically geared to children with no insurance or those with only Medicaid Part A. No appointments were necessary.
Additional vaccination drives were held at Pennsauken Middle School on Aug. 21 and at the Wiggins Center-Health First Care and Wellness Center in Camden on Aug. 24. They provided the same range of vaccinations and were aimed at ensuring children in Camden County were ready to start the school year fully immunized.
At all the clinics, representatives from the Osbourne Family Health Center were on hand to assist families with insurance applications. For children behind on their vaccinations, the county health department offered vaccine appointments at the county’s health and wellness centers.
