Vaccination rates in Texas schools are falling. Is this the solution? | Opinion
Parkland’s Population Health division has a new mobile vaccination clinic that will soon travel to Dallas schools and other locations in areas with low childhood immunization rates, offering all CDC-recommended childhood vaccines.Parkland Health’s new mobile children’s vaccination clinic will soon be rolling out to schools in Dallas County neighborhoods with low immunization rates.
Five years ago, during the 2017-18 school year, Texas Health and Human Services reported high rates of vaccine coverage across Texas schools. Only a small number of kindergartners and seventh graders were overdue for getting routine shots — 1% or less among kindergartners and about 2.3% or less among seventh graders. A separate group of children had families that cited “conscientious exemptions,” but those numbers stayed around 1.5%.
A mobile vaccine clinic can’t fix the problem of vaccine hesitancy, but it can make a difference for families whose children haven’t been vaccinated for other reasons. Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country, and that rate is even worse in Dallas County, where more than a fifth of residents are uninsured. That means some families are skipping wellness checks and routine vaccinations for their children, according to Parkland.
We know it works. Parkland’s COVID-19 vaccination events at community sites, including schools, were well received. One event we attended in 2021 at David G. Burnet Elementary School in northwest Dallas inoculated about 450 people who lined up outdoors. Many of the attendees told us they lived nearby and that the event was convenient.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Four of the happiest colleges in the United States are in Texas, report saysThe University of Texas at Austin and Texas Christian University must be doing something right.
Read more »
Texas Rangers will honor Texas Ranger with opening day ceremonial first pitchGov. Greg Abbott, who vowed not to support MLB in state of Texas two years ago, will also be back.
Read more »
Texas baseball wins at rival Texas A&M for first time in 12 yearsTexas' baseball team won its 15th consecutive game Tuesday and also beat Texas A&M in...
Read more »
You 'love love' it: H-E-B tops Texas Monthly's bracket of Texas brandsH-E-B topped a Texas Monthly March Madness bracket of iconic Texas brands, following Texan vote.
Read more »
Parkland father arrested during House hearing on gun rightsThe father of the teen who died in the 2018 Parkland, Florida shooting was arrested at the capitol last week for disrupting a hearing on strengthening access to guns
Read more »
Nashville school shooting could have been avoided, Parkland dad says: 'Parents need to wake up''Andrew Pollack, whose daughter was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, outlined a school safety plan in light of the mass shooting at a private Christian school in Tennessee.
Read more »