Mt. Clemens, MI - The Macomb County Health Department has announced a new partnership with SMART and Richmond/Lenox EMS that will create a drive-through COVID-19 vaccination site in northern Macomb County. The site will be dedicated to vaccinating individuals aged 65 and older.
“Seniors are an at-risk population for COVID-19,” said County Executive Mark Hackel. “They are one of our top priorities and we continue to look for innovative and safe ways to vaccinate these individuals while keeping them safe. This partnership is just one solution and I am thrilled to see both SMART and Richmond/Lenox EMS come on board to help us.”
The drive-through vaccination site is not open for walk-ups or drive-ups. Appointments are being booked through outreach to the nearly 1,500 seniors in the SMART Macomb County rider database. SMART will provide transportation to the site for those that request assistance.
“As a critical and essential service, SMART is proud to support the efforts being made across the region to ensure people have access to COVID-19 vaccines,” said SMART Board Chairman Khalil Rahal. “Transportation can be a significant barrier to senior citizens and SMART is committed to bridge that gap with transit services, other support and resources from SMART and our dozens of Community Transit Partners.”
The vaccination site, which is provided by Richmond/Lenox EMS, will open for operations next week. A trained team of medical professionals from the EMS service will administer all vaccinations.
“At Richmond/Lenox EMS, our focus is not only on responding to emergencies, but preventing them,” said Jeffrey White, Chief of EMS, Richmond and Lenox Townships. “One of our annual initiatives has been to partner with the Macomb County Health Department to provide drive-through flu immunizations. Given our experience in this regard, we believe our agency is uniquely qualified to carry out this new life saving mission.”
Once vaccinations have been provided to all interested seniors in the SMART rider database, Macomb County will work with community partners to identify senior citizens who want to receive the vaccine and assist them in scheduling appointments. The county will also continue to partner with SMART on vaccination efforts to ensure access to vaccines for senior populations.
For more information on COVID-19 vaccinations, visit https://www.macombgov.org/covid19-COVID19VaccineCentral.
About the Macomb County Health Department
In partnership with the communities we serve, the mission of the Macomb County Health Department is to protect the health and well-being of all who live, work, and play in Macomb County. We pursue our mission by providing a wide range of programs and services that are delivered by Environmental Health Services, Family Health Services, Community Health Planning and Promotion, and our Disease Prevention and Control program. For more information, visit: https://health.macombgov.org/Health-Home.