A Texas radiology practice is lending its mobile mammography vehicles to help administer COVID-19 vaccinations in hard-to-reach parts of the Lone Star state, officials revealed this week.
Desert Imaging plans to partner with El Paso County and University Medical Center to transport doses of the lifesaving drug to vulnerable members of the community. The radiology practice has three Mammos on the Move units available which they’ll use to target “super seniors” age 75 and older at assisted living, nursing home and adult day care facilities.
Director of Business Development Shane Griffith, MBA, said the locally owned practice was “all ears” when county officials approached about the potential partnership.
“Our mobile mammography volume has gone down, of course, with COVID and we’re open to those conversations,” he told Radiology Business. “We said, ‘Let’s figure out your needs as a vaccination team and how these assets fit those needs.’ All indications are pointing toward yes.”
The partnership has not yet launched, as those involved continue to work out the final details. But Griffith said Desert Imaging will be lending out its mammography units to be staffed by University Medical Center, which will provide vaccines, identify sites, and handle scheduling.
MOM units, as they’re called for short, will store and transport vaccine doses, and be used for prepping the shots. Healthcare workers will administer the medicines inside of senior care facilities, Griffith noted.
“We have the infrastructure locked and loaded to deploy COVID vaccinations to the most vulnerable population in the hardest to reach areas of our county, and everything is lined up,” he said. “We’re excited to help the community. This is part of the mission of the company,” he added.
County officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Desert Imaging is a privately held practice with four locations in Texas and has been in business for 20 years.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.