Throughout the pandemic, UC Health has continued to be a source of hope in the community. Here are a couple of highlights of our health system’s role in the community, especially as COVID-19 vaccines became available.

Hamilton County 513 Relief Bus

During the summer of 2021, the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners, in partnership with UC Health, unveiled the 513 Relief Bus, a mobile effort designed to provide COVID-19 vaccines and social services to the community by “meeting people where they are.”

Launched June 19, 2021, at the Mobile Black Wall Street Juneteenth Celebration, hospital clinicians and county staff traveled for 13 weeks (June 19-Sept. 11, 2021) to over 40 locations across Hamilton County and Cincinnati, with a special focus on areas where vaccine hesitancy was at its highest. The bus visited apartment complexes, community centers, neighborhood block parties and community events in an effort to reach as many people as possible.

“What we want to do with our bus is to take our resources into the community. We want the people to be connected and take away barriers that may prevent them from getting the help that they need,” said Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece.

The UC Health/Hamilton County partnership addressed two challenges: providing assistance to those who were hit hard financially by the pandemic, and distributing the vaccine to as many people as possible, especially in communities where COVID-19 was having a disproportionate impact.

UC Health nurses and pharmacists provided vaccinations on the bus, while Hamilton County Job & Family Services staff offered economic relief through cash assistance; help with food, rent and utilities; assistance finding jobs; registering for Medicaid and securing child care. All vaccines and relief services were offered free to the community.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, UC Health has been on the front lines, working tirelessly in the battle against COVID-19. The 513 Relief Bus was just one more step in this effort. While not everyone who stopped by the bus accepted the vaccine, by being right there, in their community, in front of their door, people had an opportunity to ask the nurses and pharmacists questions, express their fears and concerns, and hopefully move a bit closer to saying ‘yes’ to vaccination.

UC Health Administers First Doses of Moderna Vaccine in the Region

UC Health administered the very first COVID-19 vaccines in the region in December 2020, marking a historic chapter in the global pandemic and was a significant first step in protecting the community from the ongoing impact of the deadly virus.

The first person vaccinated in Cincinnati was Katie Walz, RN, who works in the Cardiovascular ICU at UC Medical Center.

UC Health Launches COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative

UC Health provides expertise to the community to help educate the public about how COVID-19 vaccines were developed and how they work. Resource materials and expert speakers have been made available to businesses and community organizations free of charge.

“To create herd immunity and put an end to this pandemic, we know that at least 70% of Americans must get vaccinated,” said Carl J. Fichtenbaum, MD, UC Health infectious diseases physician, professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Internal Medicine at the UC College of Medicine and co-investigator of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial. “These vaccines have gone through a rigorous testing process right here in Cincinnati, and we know that they are safe, they are effective and they work.”