As vaccination efforts continue to build across North Carolina, Chatham County’s Public Health Department recently announced a partnership to better expand its reach.
The county department shared StarMed HealthCare, a health care system based in Charlotte, will take over operations for the mass vaccination clinics held at the county’s Agriculture and Conference Center in Pittsboro. After the health department’s staff held a clinic on Monday, the StarMed team will conduct the vaccinations and flow of the clinics beginning on Friday.
Chatham County Public Health Director Mike Zelek said since StarMed has partnered with his department for months to conduct weekly COVID-19 testing events through the community, he believes the transition will be smooth.
“StarMed has been working with other counties in [North Carolina] on vaccinations and we are excited about this new stage of our partnership,” he said in a release. “This will allow mass vaccination clinics to continue and expand as supplies allow, while increasing capacity for our team to ramp up efforts to reach priority populations, including marginalized communities, that often face barriers to accessing healthcare including vaccinations. It is a necessary and important next step as we continue this critical work.”
To complete these mass vaccination clinics, CCPHD will transfer some of its vaccine allocation from the state to StarMed each week. The health department said this shift of operations at the Agricultural Center will not change any scheduled appointments for either first doses or second doses. Appointments will not need to be confirmed again, according to the county’s release, as CCPHD will coordinate scheduling with StarMed. Those who have already entered their information into the health department’s vaccine database will not need to do so again.
Chatham County is also working with the healthcare system to expand the Agricultural Center clinic’s hours. The health department said it plans to add Saturday clinics for community members by mid-March, depending on vaccine supply and resources.
Meanwhile, Zelek said his health department will focus on holding more community outreach events to improve vaccine access and equity to all Chatham County residents.
“Local public health has an important role to play in COVID-19 vaccinations,” he said, “not just as a provider but also in sharing factual information and connecting residents to resources in and around Chatham County. This requires community partnerships and intentional, equity-driven effort to reach those who may be missed through traditional channels, including marginalized communities.”
Chatham County Commissioner Karen Howard spoke with 97.9 The Hill about the StarMed partnership, saying she thinks it will help the health department’s employees also focus on more of their typical duties.
“We’ve benefited by the fact we have a lot of volunteers and support in Chatham County,” Howard said, “and that a lot of our employees have taken on additional roles. But the health department has a role even outside the pandemic and a lot of the employees are going to be able to get back to their ordinary course of business. I think that’s important.”
Further information about the Chatham County Public Health Department’s partnership with StarMed HealthCare can be found on the county’s website. Additional COVID-19 vaccine providers in the community include UNC Health, Piedmont Health Services, Duke Health, Walgreens and Siler City Pharmacy.
Photo via the Chatham County Public Health Department.
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