'Vaxmobile' Brings Public Health To The Public Library

FREEPORT, NY — Public health was on a roll at the Freeport Memorial Library Thursday, as Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital rolled out the “Vaxmobile” for a field visit.

Introduced in 2022, the Vaxmobile was purchased using CARES act funds from the Town of Hempstead. The mobile vaccination vehicle allows eligible Nassau County residents to get vaccinated against things like flu, COVID-19, shingles and pneumonia in locations that they might already be going to, instead of having to make a trip to a hospital or pharmacy. Mount Sinai South Nassau officials said the vaxmobile has allowed for the administration of between 15,000 and 20,000 vaccinations since its inception.

According to Dr. Aaron E. Glatt, Chair of Mount Sinai South Nassau's Department of Medicine and Chief of Infectious Diseases, the effort to bring vaccination out into communities at places like Freeport’s library was born out of a simple commitment.

“We’re committed to the community,” Glatt told Patch. “[Mount Sinai South Nassau] hospital is at the forefront of doing tremendous community health work. Mount Sinai South Nassau decided the community would benefit greatly from having both an educational community opportunity, and also, [an opportunity] to implement vaccination recommendations.”

Those recommendations, Glatt said, are based on federal and state guidance. He noted that not everyone is right for every vaccine, and that individuals with questions about their vaccine needs should talk to their doctor.

Glatt said that the Vaxmobile is authorized to give just about any vaccine with no direct cost to the person getting vaccinated. In some cases, patients’ insurance may get billed.

Abby Fromm, a registered nurse and the director of Community Education at Mount Sinai South Nassau, said that the vaccination needs of every patient may vary, as will the potential side effects of individual vaccines. The outcome of successful vaccinations, however, would be positive.

“They may hurt, they may not hurt, but [people getting vaccinated] will be protected,” Fromm said. “Some [people] are hesitant because they’ve learned some information from the internet or from friends, non-evidence-based information. So it is important to go out there and re-educate, and give the education they need, for people who are not sure…increasing our vaccination rate will also help protect the community, prevent communicable disease.”

Fromm said there are side-effects to many vaccines, some more severe than others. Even when vaccinated, there’s not a 100 percent prevention in every case.

“Once you get vaccinated, you will be less sick, and it also prevents death,” Fromm said.

On the subject of vaccine skepticism, both Fromm and Glatt said it’s something they’ve seen tick up in recent years. Glatt said “Dr. Google” has become more of a presence in examination rooms, while Glatt said attitudes toward vaccinations and recommendations have changed among people choosing to get — or not get — the shots.

“Unfortunately, for the last number of years, we’ve been seeing much more, I call it ‘vaccine hesitancy,’” Glatt said. “People who, in the past, probably would have just followed the recommendations of their physicians and taken whatever was recommended…in recent years, we’ve seen a large number of people questioning some of the public health recommendations. Unfortunately, there probably is some basis for the lack of belief in public health. Sometimes, there has been less than pure science driving some of the recommendations. My goal as a physician, and the hospital’s goal, is to provide what we think are the best medical advice or recommendations.”

Those recommendations, Glatt said, come from the New York Department of Health, the CDC, the National Institute of Health, the FDA and a wide swath of apolitical professional organizations in the healthcare field.

“Vaccinations are a very big group. I don’t recommend everybody should get every vaccine that’s out there, but everybody should individualize for themselves. What are their particular vaccination needs?” Glatt said. “There are a lot of things people can do — men, women, adults, children — that can improve their health and maintain their health at an optimal status. But just because we have a vaccine doesn’t mean every person should get it.”

In Fromm’s view, taking the vaxmobile out into communities has proven an effective way to meet vaccine misinformation and skepticism head-on. Language barriers, transportation deserts and other limiting factors can make it difficult to build trust in public health at a community based level; putting a face to the practice and bringing it to a familiar place, Fromm said, fill in gaps in trust that some individuals might have.

“Some people are just not sure who they’re talking to. And when we introduce ourselves as, ‘we’re from the hospital, we’re registered nurses,’ it kind of gives them the trust,” Fromm said. “Every time we go to the community, and we see this more often, they tend to listen to us more and ask us more questions.”

While the reasons for getting or not getting a vaccine may vary, some of the patients in the chairs Thursday were motivated less by public health concerns than by trying to keep peace at home.

“I’m here because my wife told me to,” one Island Park resident said.

The Vaxmobile will be making additional stops later this Spring, at the following locations and times:

Oceanside Senior Center, 2900 Rockaway Ave., Oceanside, Monday, Apr. 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Barn, 1303 Round Swamp Rd., Old Bethpage, Tuesday, Apr. 21, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Sands at Lido Beach, 710 Lido Blvd., Lido Beach, Tuesday, Apr. 28, 10 a.m. 2 p.m.

Baldwin Library, 2385 Grand Ave., Thursday, Apr. 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.