The Department of Health is to transform some of its Smile Squad dental vans into mobile vaccination clinics to upgrade the COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
The free Smile Squad dental service for public school students was paused in August in line with lockdown restrictions.
Announced by Minister for Health, Martin Foley, the Department has partnered with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), community leaders and mainstream health services to deliver the Vaccine Vans.
“The first of three dedicated COVID-19 Vaccine Vans will hit the road this week, travelling to the City of Greater Shepparton, with another van travelling to the City of Latrobe later in the week,” Mr Foley said.
“The mobile vaccination units will be staffed and run by Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCO) and mainstream partners to remove transport and geographic barriers to access among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians,” he said.
“The first destination of the ACCO Vaccine Vans, the City of Greater Shepparton, has the largest Aboriginal population in Victoria outside Melbourne.”
Mr Foley said that as of Monday (4 October), more than 65 per cent of First Nations people in the State had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
“Over the last several weeks, vaccination in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community has been increasing week on week as further clinics continue to open,” he said.
“While uptake among the community is high compared to other Australian jurisdictions, it is still lower than the broader Victorian population.”
The Minister said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were at higher risk from COVID-19 due to a number of factors, including pre-existing medical conditions and large households.
Mr Foley said the Vaccine Vans would boost community-led efforts to ensure that all members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community had access to a COVID-19 vaccine.
