‘Time for Spokane to take the baton’: City sets aside $500,000 for neighborhood vaccine clinics

Itching to get shots in arms – and equally eager to reopen the economy – the Spokane City Council set aside $500,000 this week to launch neighborhood vaccine clinics.

Details remain sparse, but the council hurriedly approved the funding with the hope of having Spokane Fire Department personnel administer the clinics.

The effort was spearheaded by Councilwoman Candace Mumm, who has pushed the city to take a more direct role in the coronavirus pandemic response. It’s earned her the nickname “vaccine queen” from Councilwoman Betsy Wilkerson.

“We’ve been running a relay for over a year, and the baton is now being passed to us here at the city,” Mumm said. “The federal government did what they could, the state government did, now it’s time for Spokane to take the baton and get us across the finish line.”

The state is slated for a complete reopening June 30, but Gov. Jay Inslee has said it will happen sooner if 70% of Washington residents 16 or older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The Spokane Fire Department already has experience administering the vaccines, Chief Brian Schaeffer told The Spokesman-Review.

It participated in a drive-thru clinic for first responders in the early days of the vaccination effort and has been vaccinating people in their homes through its Community Assistance Response (CARES) Team.

“We’re just taking that experience and our experience with the incident command system and putting our plans in place to meet the community where they’re at,” Schaeffer said.

Fire Department leaders are working with the Spokane Regional Health District to plan vaccination clinics.

“There are still many details to be worked out, and we’re looking forward to providing communities who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with increased access to the vaccine,” Kelli Hawkins, a spokesperson for the Spokane Regional Health District, said Tuesday.

Locations and times have yet to be determined, but fire stations are a likely fit.

“The fire stations are community resources and people feel safe there, so we want to try to leverage that opportunity and provide a method that people can get vaccinated quickly and close to home with the hope we can move the needle just a little bit so we reach that 70% as soon as possible,” Schaeffer said.

The council directed $500,000 of the city’s $81 million cut of the federal American Rescue Plan to fund the effort.

The goal is to be as flexible as possible, Schaeffer said, and locations will be chosen on a “data-driven” basis in order to reach “the most impactful area.”

The council preemptively addressed concerns that vaccine hesitancy is the main barrier to vaccination efforts, not a lack of access.

“We know we’re behind on how many people are vaccinated in our community, and that if we’re really going to be able to reopen fully we’re going to have to try every strategy,” Council President Breean Beggs said.

The health district has found success in community vaccine clinics, including an effort that resulted in 283 doses administered in Cheney over the course of three events, according to Hawkins.

In Spokane, these clinics could eliminate barriers for people who have a disability, lack transportation or don’t want to travel to downtown Spokane, Hawkins said.

“These clinics are promoted as a community event, and the sites are familiar to the public being served,” Hawkins said. “People often know the neighborhood fire station staff, and so there is a sense of trust and security when asking questions about and receiving the vaccine.”

Beggs said the city could always curtail the clinics if they are unsuccessful.

“We don’t know if we’re going to need all the money, but we’re going to make sure we’ll have plenty so that will not be the issue,” Beggs said.