Wellness on Wheels

Target Audience: The target audience for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority's (JTA) Wellness on Wheels campaign was the citizens of the Northeast Florida community.

Strategy Objective:The JTA's objective for the Wellness on Wheels initiative was to increase access to the vaccines for people living in underserved communities. The JTA also wanted to make it easier to promote public health and safety while utilizing vehicles that were sanitized and fully equipped. During the four-month campaign the JTA held events, disseminated informative brochures, posted on social media and made special reports on the Making Moves television show to engage the target audiences. Wellness on Wheels buses were branded with colorful wraps that depicted images of diverse people in medical settings receiving vaccinations. The campaign enabled the JTA to keep the public abreast of the location of the mobile units and obtain vaccinations.

Situation Challenge: As COVID-19 vaccines were made available in Jacksonville in early 2021, people were skeptical about getting one and some had limited access due to transportation challenges. The JTA, in partnership with Agape Family Health Center, wanted to develop an innovative solution to eliminate the transportation barrier for underserved communities heavily impacted by the virus. To increase access and provide education and awareness about the vaccines, the JTA developed the Wellness on Wheels program. The program utilized four retrofitted buses to serve as mobile vaccination clinics that traveled to different locations throughout Jacksonville to help people where they were.

Results Impact: Through the Wellness on Wheels campaign, the JTA was able to provide awareness to the community about public vaccination sites, offer safe trips to and from the sites and distribute factual information about the virus and the vaccines. When vaccines were first made available, sites were typically in areas underserved by public transit. After the JTA formed the partnership with AGAPE to transport citizens to vaccination sites and operate mobile clinics, more than 11,000 people had obtained vaccinations.

Why Submit: The Wellness on Wheels campaign was submitted because it is a strong national example of how a transportation organization can help advance public health and safety by making it easy to obtain COVID vaccinations. Wellness on Wheels allowed the JTA to connect with and provide COVID-19 awareness and accessibility to people in underserved communities during a critical time. Through events, eye-catching materials, four-wrapped and retrofitted buses, social media and more, the Wellness on Wheels campaign provided life-saving protection for more than 800 people who were able to receive vaccinations, and garnered national recognition from the White House.