According to Grays Harbor County Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has unexpectedly terminated grant funding for the Washington State Department of Health’s Care-a-Van program.

As a result the Washington State Department of Health has been forced to suspend Care-a-Van operations.

The communications officer for Grays Harbor County Public Health, Leigh Rowley, said that Grays Harbor County Public Health must cancel an upcoming immunization event on April 18 at the Pearsall Building in Aberdeen and Elma Elementary School’s clinic that was planned for May 20 has also been shelved.

Mike McNickle, the director of Grays Harbor County Public Health, said via email, “The event has been cancelled since the funding was terminated abruptly. I should point out that the funding that was terminated for this clinic only affected the Care-a-Van effort, which was managed through the Washington State Department of Health.”

“These events provided all school-required immunizations for children, and adults could receive free health checks (A1C, blood pressure screening) plus the latest COVID and flu vaccines,” Rowley said via email. “These events were scheduled in the evenings so that busy families could keep up-to-date with immunizations without having to miss work or wait several months to be seen by a doctor. At these events we invited community partners to set up displays so that families could learn about local resources while they waited. All family members could be vaccinated in a single visit rather than having to coordinate a separate trip to the doctor. We hear from parents who are hesitant about their child receiving all immunizations in a single visit, and our events allowed them to space out vaccines without falling behind.”

Ana Garcia, emergency preparedness and response coordinator at Grays Harbor County Public Health, added, “For three years this program offered children and adults a no-cost, walk-in clinic that was conveniently open until 7 p.m. and connected people to local resources and community partners.”

According to Rowley, Grays Harbor County events had among the highest attendance in the state. The no-cost immunization clinic in August 2024 resulted in 49 vaccines administered and 13 A1C blood glucose screenings.

“Some healthcare providers allow patients to schedule a nurse visit for an immunization rather than having to wait months for an appointment with the doctor,” Rowley added. “The Care-a-Van program began serving Washingtonians in 2021. As this program sunsets, we look forward to new initiatives aimed at improving immunization access in rural communities.”

Grays Harbor County Public Health has dispatched its own mobile health van to a variety of locations in recent months educating people about disaster preparedness and offering A1C and blood pressure screenings. This program, staffed primarily by local volunteers from Grays Harbor County Public Health’s Medical Reserve Corps, is not affected.

“Our mobile health efforts are maintained through a separate funding stream that appears — at least at this point — to be safe from termination,” McNickle said.

For immunization information, Grays Harbor County Public Health encourages you to visit vaccines.gov or https://doh.wa.gov.