Vaccine clinic on wheels: Rockland adds ways to get immunized amid national measles surge
Rockland County has added a mobile vaccination unit to its childhood vaccination efforts.
The new vaccination clinic on wheels comes as cases of measles are climbing worldwide, in the U.S. and in New York.
While Rockland has not seen a case of measles this year, the county managed a measles outbreak in 2018 and 2019. In 2022, Rockland County also saw the first case of polio in the U.S. in decades.
The van, purchased with federal COVID funds, is already up and running. The idea, county spokesperson Beth Cefalu has said, is to get the shots to where they're needed.
Plans for community visits could include sites in East Ramapo school district, county officials said. The greater Spring Valley area is home to a large new immigrant community and the district has reported many new enrollees from Haiti, Central and South America. Often, kids arrive without vaccination records from their home country. Providing on-site shots could help kids catch up and ensure they meet state vaccination regulations for school attendance.
Vaccination rates have slipped in recent years, for various reasons, all over.
Rockland County, though, has long had its own challenges with pockets of low childhood vaccination rates.
Urgency amid Rockland's vulnerability
As of April 18, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had documented 125 measles cases across the U.S. in 2024. That includes three cases in New York; two in NYC and one in Nassau County, according to the New York State Department of Health.
Rockland County remains vulnerable, county officials have said.
In 2018-2019, Rockland witnessed a measles outbreak that ultimately sickened 312; there were 649 cases found in New York City.
“To successfully prevent measles from resurfacing in this county we need cooperation from all communities,” County Executive Ed Day said in a statement.
Polio: Rockland hits full year with no virus found in wastewater
In July 2022, a Monsey man suffered permanent paralysis from polio, an outcome often feared before a vaccine came into use in the early 1960s. The man had not traveled outside the U.S.
Wastewater testing showed the polio virus had been present for months. Subsequent testing of sewage treatment systems around downstate New York have not shown the virus' presence since February 2023.
Focus on upping immunization numbers
County officials have been focused on upping immunization rates since the measles outbreak in the last teens, throughout COVID and through the recent polio scare.
The county's health department recently launched a childhood immunization campaign.
Cefalu said that Rockland Health Department clinics have seen an increase in visits by 50% between 2021 and 2023.
Still, as of Aug. 1, 2023, New York state health records showed pockets of low polio vaccination rates among Rockland County children age 2 and under. For example, in the 10952 ZIP code, which covers the greater Monsey area, just 41.4% of babies and toddlers were vaccinated against polio; in the 10977 postal code, the Spring Valley area, the polio vaccination rate was 55.9%.
How to get vaccinated
Rockland County clinics provide free vaccines through the Vaccines for Children and Vaccines for Adults programs. Find out about eligibility at 845-364-2520/2524.
Clinic appointments are available by appointment (call 845-364-2520 to schedule) at the following times and locations:
8:30-11 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Rockland County Department of Health Clinic, Yeager Center Building A, 2nd floor Rotunda area, 50 Sanatorium Road, Pomona, NY 10970.
8:30-11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Rockland County Department of Health Spring Valley Clinic, 14 S. Main St., Spring Valley, NY 10977.
Go to health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization for more information about vaccines.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rockland NY vaccine clinic goes mobile as measles seen across US
