The White House announced Friday that the Tulsa Community College Northeast Campus has been chosen to host a federally supported COVID-19 vaccination site in partnership with state and local agencies.
"The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will lend support to the vaccination site, in partnership with the Tulsa Health Department, Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, the Oklahoma National Guard and state and local partners," the White House said in a news release.
FEMA spokesperson Lauren Lefebvre said the site will be capable of administering about 3,000 doses of vaccine per day, with a dedicated federal allocation, separate from the state's existing allocation, of 21,000 doses a week. The site is scheduled to open Wednesday, April 21, and run for eight weeks.
"The goal of establishing the center is to continue to expand the rate of vaccinations in Oklahoma, and doing this in an efficient, effective and equitable manner," said Lefebvre, reached by phone Friday morning. "And making sure that we're focusing on areas that have the highest risk of COVID exposure and infections and ensuring that no one is left behind."
The White House release says the location was chosen in part due to its federal "social vulnerability index" score, "created to help emergency response planners and public health officials identify and map communities that will most likely need support before, during, and after a hazardous event. The index takes into consideration critical data points, including socioeconomic status, household composition, minority status, languages, housing type and transportation."
"Tulsa County has SVI higher than 39% of counties in the state," the White House release said. "14.3% of the population lives at or below the poverty line, compared to the national average of 10.5%. In the City of Tulsa, 19.4% of the population lives at or below the poverty line.
"Specifically, the Tulsa Health Department noted that for the zip code where the Tulsa Community College Northeast Campus is located, the Child Opportunity Index is rated as “Very Low;” the Area Depravation Index ranges from 6 to 10, with 10 being the most disadvantaged; and less than 7% of the zip code’s population is fully vaccinated."
In prepared statements, several federal, state and local officials said the launch of the site was welcome news.
"We are grateful to receive additional resources in Tulsa to reach as many people as possible during one of the largest vaccination rollouts in our country’s history. I want to thank our federal partners for selecting Tulsa for this opportunity and want to thank the State of Oklahoma for their continued distribution of the vaccine as we all do our part to protect our neighbors,” said Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum.
“Oklahomans welcome this additional support from the federal government to further fuel our state’s successful vaccination rollout,” said Gov. Kevin Stitt.
“As we continue to administer the COVID-19 vaccine in our community, it’s important to ensure equitable access for those who have been disproportionately affected by the virus. The addition of a temporary community vaccination center located in north Tulsa will increase opportunities for residents to receive the vaccine. I am grateful to the local, state and federal agencies who are collaborating to bring this center to fruition,” said Tulsa Health Department Executive Director Dr. Bruce Dart.
Dart in early February announced the impending opening of a FEMA vaccine site before saying the plans had fallen through.
