Douglas County to offer low-cost vaccine clinic in Parker

Families in Parker got a low- and no-cost vaccination option at Nueva Vida Church, where Douglas County Health Department, Nueva Vida Church and ColoVAX offered a routine clinic for children and adults. The clinic ran Thursday, May 14, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 19542 East Parker Square Drive, and county officials said it was open to people with or without insurance.

The county said pre-registration was recommended, but walk-ins were welcome, and vaccines were given on a first come, first served basis. People with insurance were asked to bring an insurance card and their vaccine records. Residents who needed more information were told to call 720-643-2400 or email CH@douglasco.gov.

For families trying to catch up on routine shots, the clinic mattered because it lowered two of the biggest barriers to care: cost and scheduling. Colorado’s mobile public health clinic program says it provides low- and no-cost vaccines to Coloradans of all ages, regardless of insurance, and the Vaccines for Children program offers free or low-cost vaccines for eligible children who are uninsured, underinsured or enrolled in Medicaid.

Douglas County used the clinic to show how public health works beyond a single appointment block. The health department also handles vital records, WIC, environmental health, emergency preparedness and response, disease surveillance and community health services. Its emergency preparedness team works with local, regional and state partners on planning, training and exercises for pandemics, bioterrorism events and natural disasters, while disease surveillance tracks reportable illnesses such as E. coli, Salmonella and rabies.

The Parker stop also landed in one of the county’s fastest-growing corridors. Parker’s estimated population reached 65,473 in July 2024, up from 58,512 in the 2020 census, underscoring the size of the community the clinic was trying to reach. Douglas County has said it ranked No. 3 in U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 Healthiest Communities rankings and has stayed among Colorado’s top two healthiest counties since 2011, but the Parker clinic showed why local prevention still matters: routine annual and childhood immunizations help protect against serious illness from diseases such as polio, measles, RSV and flu.