HILLSBORO, Oregon — Not everyone gets to go inside the Hillsboro Hops clubhouse, let alone get vaccinated there.
But that's what happened Sunday for 200 young people, aged 5-18. OHSU Health Hillsboro Medical Center teamed up with the Hillsboro Hops minor league baseball team to make it happen.
Dr. Joe Hardman leads the OHSU medical team in Hillsboro. He said it's important to get kids vaccinated to protect them and the community. And while most kids handle getting COVID pretty well, not all do.
“There have been about 8,300 hospitalizations of kids between 5 and 11 and some deaths as well, and by the way, 30% of those are in kids who don't have an underlying health condition,” said Hardman.
So getting kids vaccinated is serious business. But the Hops vaccine clinic made it fun.
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“Barley himself is welcoming the kids after they get their dose and then once their 15 minutes is up, they can head out and get an ice cream. And if they want to, weather permitting, they can run the bases on the field," said Jen Anderson, vice president of people and culture for the Hillsboro Hops.
And a little bit of fun can motivate those who may be hesitant, to get their kids protected with what's been proven to be safe effective vaccine.
“We’ve seen a pretty good appetite in our community, thankfully. But obviously, there are still some holdouts, so that’s why we wanted to be able to partner with the Hops to be able to provide added incentive to come get your first vaccine,” said OHSU’s Hardman.
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All 200 appointments for the one-day clinic were booked in advance.
And the Hops and OHSU will hold a second dose clinic at Ron Tonkin Field for those kids on Jan 9.