Pima County libraries to host mobile COVID & STD clinics

A new mobile health clinic will be making its way to Pima County public libraries starting this Friday.

“Our goal is to improve and increase access of public health services and resources to residents of Pima County,” said Noel Valle, a program director at the Pima County Health Department.

The program is the product of a collaboration between the Health Department and the county library system.

"The library is an important connection point in our community and well-positioned to help provide that access," said library deputy director Karyn Prechtel-Altman.

The mobile clinic will offer vaccinations against COVID-19, monkey pox and the flu, as well as testing for sexually transmitted diseases, HIV counseling and referrals, and pregnancy testing and family planning services.

According to the CDC, Pima County — and all other Arizona counties — have high levels of community spread of COVID-19. The Health Department is recommending that everyone 5 years old and up get bivalent booster shots against the omircron variant as the potential for holiday spread of the virus is high.

The mobile clinic is scheduled to make it's debut at the Eckstrom-Columbus Library this Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

A second clinic will be held at Sam Lena-South Tucson Library on Friday, Jan. 20 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The clinic's schedule and locations will be updated on the Pima County website.

The Centers for Disease Control have elevated the risk of contracting COVID in Pima County, and across the state, due to the increase in the number of new reported infections and the uptick in the percentage of reported positive tests for the virus in recent weeks.