People experiencing mental health challenges and the homeless will have specialist support to get their COVID-19 vaccination at a pop-up clinic at Adelaide’s Urgent Mental Health Care Centre (UMHCC).
07th December, 2021
From the 14th December, Peer Support Workers, mental health clinicians and vaccination health staff will be on deck Tuesdays and Thursdays at the clinic, aimed at helping people receive the vaccine for free in a calm, comfortable and supported environment without the need for an appointment.
Neami National South Australian State Manager Kim Holmes said Neami was awarded a $50,000 Wellbeing SA grant, which will provide fully trained health staff to administer the vaccines.
“Neami is really pleased to have received the COVID 19 Vaccination Uptake Grant from Wellbeing SA as it will help us address the barriers that people with mental health challenges experience around getting the COVID-19 vaccination. The pop-up clinic will go a long way in helping more people in the Adelaide area access the vaccine easily.”
Ms Holmes said the UMHCC is already set up to be a warm, welcoming space making it the perfect location for the vaccination clinic.
The UMHCC in Adelaide’s CBD provides high-engagement support in a lounge-room style space, offering an alternative to emergency departments for a mental health crisis. The service works with people experiencing crisis or distress with immediate support as well as connecting people to longer-term support services in a caring, safe and inclusive environment.
UMHCC Peer Support Workers will work in the clinic to support people getting vaccinated, drawing on their lived experience of mental health recovery and providing information and moral support before, during and after their vaccine. This will include explaining what to expect during the appointment, providing support for people who may be concerned or nervous, and being present during the vaccination to provide comfort where requested.
Ms Holmes said the Peer Support Workers will also help arrange adjustments for people who need them, including longer appointment times, somewhere quiet to sit before and after, and the offer of morning tea. Every vaccine recipient will receive a small gift or voucher to thank them for doing their part.
“Neami estimates the pop-up clinic will administer around 240 vaccination doses during the clinic, which will be open from 14 December 2021.”
The COVID-19 pop-up vaccination clinic will operate Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am-12pm at the UMHCC, 215 Grenfell Street, Adelaide. Anyone wanting to access the vaccine can walk in at any time during those hours without the need for an appointment.
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