New COVID-19 vaccination site to open in Stop Six as officials seek equitable approach
The historically Black Stop Six neighborhood will be home to the newest Tarrant County COVID vaccination site, officials announced Monday.
The new site will be at a church in the neighborhood, according to a UNT Health Science Center news release. No other details were released about the location. UNT officials declined to comment about the plan. The announcement comes as county officials have looked for an equitable distribution of the coronavirus vaccine.
The Stop Six neighborhood is one of the county’s lowest vaccinated neighborhoods with only a 3.38% one-dose vaccination rate. For the most part, residents in white, affluent areas have higher vaccination rates.
In partnership with Tarrant County, the UNT Health Science Center has contracted OptumServe, a national veteran-led health care services business, to establish the new site. OptumServe will provide staffing, personal protective equipment, logistics support and secure technology essential to coordinating vaccination services.
The Tarrant County Commissioners agreed to pay the UNT Health Science Center $2.5 for UNTHSC officials to begin their work on Feb. 9 and the cost of the partnership could reach $25 million. UNTHSC was tapped by the county to expand access to the vaccine and overcome vaccine hesitancy. The contract runs through Sept. 30.
OptumServe has established hundreds of large-scale community-based COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites across 22 states over the last year, according to the release.
“OptumServe has a proven track record in end-to-end COVID-19 vaccine administration,” said Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams, HSC chief strategy officer, in a statement. “Together, we will take a data-driven approach to expanding access to the vaccine in hard-to-reach communities and, importantly, build a relationship of trust and understanding with the people who live there.”
UNTHSC and OptumServe are also looking to open sites in north and west Fort Worth.
