Exemplary practice: Dutch Mobile Vaccination Units
Celebrating promising practices to increase COVID-19 vaccination through mobile vaccination units
Today the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) recognised the National Institute of Public Health and Environment for its efforts in the implementation of the Mobile Vaccination Unit initiative to increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake.
This award is part of the pan-European initiative Overcoming Obstacles to Vaccination, a three-year project to tackle physical, practical, and administrative obstacles to vaccination. The project sets out to identify and assess the impact of obstacles to vaccination; share and pilot best practices; develop recommendations; support EU Member States through knowledge exchange; and increase vaccination coverage rates.
Using criteria developed by the European Commission, health authorities from across the European Union submitted interventions they considered promising practices that address obstacles to vaccination. From the numerous submissions, five projects were selected. The outreach programme “Mobile Vaccination Units” which sets out to increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake is one of five.
Upon accepting the award, André Rouvoet, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Healthcare Insurance Association (GGD GHOR Nederland) acknowledged the importance in addressing obstacles to vaccination:
"...By removing, physical, social, emotional, functional obstacles, we don’t just enable people to make well-considered choices about their health, we also make it an easy step for them to get the COVID vaccination if they want it."
The practice 'Mobile Vaccination Units' has been recognised for its success in raising vaccination uptake rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme has achieved this through collaboration between municipal health authorities and local trusted figures of specific neighbourhoods. The programme focuses on neighbourhoods with low vaccination rates and reaches citizens through information campaigns and onsite presence. The Mobile Vaccination Units effectively lower barriers for vaccination through their easy accessibility.