A local nonprofit is teaming up with a national health-care company to provide COVID-19 vaccinations at no charge to Tucsonans with special needs.
On Thursday, Dec. 2, or Saturday, Dec. 4, families and individuals with special needs, ages 5 and up, can receive their first, second or booster COVID-19 vaccinations at Intermountain Centers for Human Development on the city’s west side.
There will be 300 COVID-19 vaccines available, and flu shots will also be administered.
Intermountain Centers was formed in 1973, at the time to provide services for Native American youths who exhibited challenging behaviors. It’s grown over the years and now provides health and human services, through outpatient care, education, group homes and independent living settings, for the state’s vulnerable populations who may be at risk of poorer health-care outcomes.
Intermountain’s partner in this week’s vaccination clinics, Genoa Healthcare, is a national provider that serves people with behavioral health needs and substance use disorders.
The Star previously reported that some people with disabilities and special needs have experienced difficulty accessing the COVID-19 vaccine, due to wait times or logistical problems. Issues include websites that aren’t user-friendly or compatible with some accessibility software, lack of accommodations at vaccination sites and a lack of aides and services, such as American Sign Language interpreters or large-print materials.
The clinics are a way to provide health equity, Intermountain officials say.
The center’s first vaccine clinic comes on the heels of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s determination that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for children and teens and the best way to combat the pandemic is to get everyone vaccinated, said Dr. Bill Ruby, Intermountain’s chief medical officer.
“There are clinics around town where kids can go and get it, but they don’t really offer accommodations for kids with special needs,” Ruby said. Those children “may be immunosuppressed or have another condition that puts them at risk, (but) the behavioral component is lacking at some vaccine sites.”
Ruby said that for an autistic child, a vaccine appointment at a pharmacy or other store is a very different experience than for other people, since large crowds and added stimuli can create a sensory overload.
“As one of the largest organizations around for autistic and special needs kids, we have the resources to create a place that they can come,” Ruby said. Behavioral specialists will be on hand at both clinics.
The Thursday clinic is at the end of the school day and on site at Intermountain Academy, making it convenient for students and their parents who are coming to pick them up.
Other people with special needs, including individuals living in long-term care homes, those who have close contact with care providers, and people who have difficulty wearing a mask or keeping social distances can all be at higher risk for contracting coronavirus, the CDC says. The federal agency has also said that people with Down syndrome are more likely than others to get very sick from COVID-19.
The two vaccination clinics are open to people with all types of special needs, and Ruby said a second series is being planned so that people who get first doses at this week’s events can receive their second shots.
“If this is successful, we’ll consider doing them on an annual basis for flu vaccines and possibly COVID-19 vaccines,” he said.
Ruby, an infectious disease doctor who previously worked at Johns Hopkins Medicine, emphasized that the vaccines are safe and effective.
“The only way we’re going to make a dent in this is to get our kids vaccinated, as well,” Ruby said. “They’re the vectors for adults, even if they don’t get as sick. If we can get them vaccinated, everyone will be better protected.”
