UMC seeks to vaccinate overlooked ‘super seniors’ in El Paso County

EL PASO, Texas -- University Medical Center health officials say they are working to create greater access to the vaccine for individuals living in the outskirts of El Paso County.

UMC is setting aside 20 percent of the vaccines allocated by the state to be used for seniors over the age of 75.

Some of those “super-senior” vaccines are going to two UMC clinics that are situated on opposite sides of the county. One is the Fabens clinic, and the other is the West clinic next to Canutillo High School.

Many seniors in the outskirts of the county face transportation challenges and internet access issues when trying to get the vaccine. Moving the vaccine to these two clinics makes traveling a lot easier for seniors in these areas.

UMC officials are using these sites to vaccinate “super seniors” that are in the UMC health database.

“So they have a database with all of their patient information," County Commissioner Iliana Holguin said. "They can see the patient’s age, they can see the patient’s condition and this allows them to very quickly identify who is eligible for the vaccine now.”

UMC workers call eligible patients directly from their database and make a registration on the spot. Patients cannot call or go online to make an appointment.

For those areas that do not have a UMC clinic nearby, county health officials are also rolling out a new mobile unit that can bring vaccines to patients.

“So it can be used for lab work," Holguin explained. "It can be used for exams. It can be used for physicals. Vaccinations of course. Not just covid but flu vaccines.”

Health officials are also gathering data on who has already been vaccinated and breaking it down by zip code and age group. This allows officials to see where vaccination needs are lacking.

“Because we need to identify if there are areas in the county that just don’t have sufficient access," Holguin said. "So we know where we have to concentrate.”

UMC officials wanted to clarify that to get a vaccine at the Fabens and Northwest clinics, you must receive a phone call from the hospital to get an appointment. They ask that you do not show up to get the vaccine if you have not been contacted to make an appointment.