For the first time, Wasco County has a mobile vaccine clinic with extensive hours of operation – it’s open six
days a week, from noon to 6 p.m.
The mobile vaccine unit is at the St. Mary’s Academy parking lot, at 10th and Cherry Heights in The Dalles, and
offers Pfizer (for ages 12 and up) and the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The vaccines are free, and no
ID or insurance is needed.
Wasco County residents, or those from out of state coming to work here (and their age-eligible family
members) who get vaccinated will get a $50 VISA card. The VISA cards are paid for by Wasco County with
vaccine incentive funds, which are federal dollars passed through the state and on to counties.
No appointments are needed, and people can walk in or drive-through for their free vaccine.
Starting Tuesday, June 15, it will be open Tuesdays through Sundays, from noon to 6 p.m. It is slated to remain there
through July 14.
Anyone who comes a bit after hours, as the unit is shutting down for the day, will not be turned away.
The mobile unit is jointly run by the Oregon Health Authority, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
and One Community Health. The 30 people staffing the clinic hail from all across the country. Spanish
translators are also on site, and the clinic is handicapped-accessible.
The various tents of the mobile clinic cover much of the St. Mary’s parking lot. On Tuesday, a busload of
workers from a Wasco County orchard came to get vaccinated, as did individuals who drove up in cars. Another
individual approached on foot seeking the vaccine. The clinic is set up to do two lanes of drive-up vaccines, plus walk-ins.
The facility has 24-hour security and vaccines are kept in a sterile trailer in specialized refrigerators. Vaccines are drawn as needed, and a single dedicated staffer, David Ruiz-Aguilar is in charge of running each drawn dose from the trailer to a nearby vaccinator, to prevent cross contamination.
The clinic has been in The Dalles since June 1, it was previously staged at One Community Health before moving to St. Mary’s, and has averaged 68 doses per day.
(For more information, please visit COVID-19 Vaccine in Oregon, contact North Central Public Health District at (541) 506-2600, visit us on the web at www.ncphd.org or find us on Facebook.)
NCPHD Mobile Vaccine Clinic
