Clinic Brings Vaccine To Rural Community

Breken Terry spoke with Helen Keller Hospital about its plans to continue getting vaccines to those who need it.

State.

Vaccine access is expanding once again in northwest alabama.

Tomorrow - helen keller hospital will host a vaccination clinic in leighton.

It will be the first clinic held in the town.

Waay 31's breken terry spoke with the hospital about its plans to continue getting vaccines to those who need it.

Look live: helen keller hospital officials told me this clinic will be the first of many in more rural areas because they want people to have better access to getting the vaccine.

Buchanan- we have an opportunity to get closer to the neighborhoods we help serve so this is one step in that direction.

The clinic will be at leighton's storm shelter on main street.

It starts at 7:30 and will go until they run out of doses.

There's no appointment necessary - and hospital staff is prepared to vaccinate as many people as they can.

Buchanan- we have a twofold approach.

We have a sign-up list for locations and individuals can reserve their spot for their dose but were also bringing with us what will be enough doses for walk ins that day.

We're not sure exactly how many people to expect but what we will find and if we run out and we see there is more demand than we expected we can schedule a follow up clinic there.

Helen keller hospital president kyle buchanan said rural communities were some of the hardest hit during the worst of then pandemic - so now it's important to make sure they're protected.

Buchanan- when we were at the height of this crisis a lot of leighton residents were in our icu, a lot of cherokee residents were in our icu, a lot of florence residents were in our icu so we want to make sure not only are we here for them in those critical moments when their lives are on the line but were also here for them to help prevent them from being in that situation and give them this opportunity close to home.

Buchanan said while these vaccinations roll out and they host mulitple clinics - he's also concerned not enough people are getting vaccinated.

That's why he hopes there is a big turn out on tuesday to the leighton clinic.

Buchanan- we are becoming concerned that the low percentage of vaccinations could represent a risk to us this summer.

Like breken said - there's no appointment required at tomorrow's clinic.