Oklahoma Caring Van Brings Vaccinations to Tulsa Students

Back-to-school season means it's time for students to get up to date on their vaccines.

And that means parents like Lydia Milner may find themselves chasing down a four-wheeled convenience.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity just to catch it rather than going into the doctor’s office,” Milner said. 

The Oklahoma Caring Van is making rounds across Tulsa to help protect students from sickness heading into the new school year.

Milner has a full-time job and 3 kids so, she says she doesn’t have a lot of time to take off work to stay home when they’re sick.

“If one gets sick, all 3 are getting it so I just think it's really important,” she said. 

Lisa Anderson is a Caring Van supervisor and says shots like TDAP, Chicken Pox, and HPV are essential in keeping kids healthy and in school.

“If 1 child is ill, that's another maybe 2, 3, maybe 10 kids and that causes a problem with the school system because the children are out, they can’t learn,” Anderson said. 

She says they’ve seen a lot of business this summer.

“We’re averaging right now, right before school starts, the past couple of weeks, we’re doing 4 vaccination clinics a day,” she said. 

Anderson says that's because, since the service is all mobile, they’re able to bring vaccines to where they're needed the most.

“We go to where everyone is, we have a public calendar,” she said. 

Milner says that flexibility is what drew her and her daughter to visit the van. 

“It's free, it's easy, it's accessible,” she said. 

A convenience with a promise. 

“That they have a good school season, a healthy school season," said Anderson.

To view the Oklahoma Caring Van schedule, click here. Van Schedules (oklahomacaringfoundation.org)