As of Wednesday, Feb. 15, children who are not yet up-to-date on vaccinations will be unable to attend in-person school or child care. Under state law, children in attendance at preschools, child care facilities, and private and public schools are required to have up-to-date immunizations or have an exemption. Without immunizations or an exemption, children cannot remain enrolled.
Multnomah County will host the first of four several special clinics beginning Saturday, Feb. 4, to help families catch up on childhood vaccines before the Wednesday, Feb. 15, deadline. The County, working with the Multnomah Education Service District and Portland Public Schools, will offer immunizations at Powell Butte Elementary on Saturday, Feb. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In all, about 108,000 children and students in the County must meet school immunization requirements each year. About 5,600 school exclusion warnings were sent to families on Feb. 1, 2023.
Catch-up clinics are available to all school-age youth, ages 5-19. Parents and guardians are asked to bring their exclusion order, ID, and insurance card, if they have one. There is no out-of-pocket cost if someone is uninsured, or if their insurance does not cover immunizations.
Immunizations are among the most effective and cost efficient ways to prevent vaccine-preventable disease and protect the health of the public.
Helping families and children with up-to-date immunizations before the Feb. 15 deadline
Parents can get their child’s shots at their regular health care provider. The Multnomah County Health Department also provides free immunizations to school-age youth at nine school-based Student Health Centers. This year, the Health Department is co-hosting four off-site school Catch-Up Vaccine clinics:
- Powell Butte Elementary: Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
- McDaniel High School: Wednesday, Feb. 8, 3:45-5:30 p.m.
- David Douglas High School Admin Building: Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
- West Gresham Elementary School: Wednesday, Feb. 15, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
These immunization clinics are available for youth ages 5-19. The clinics are free for families, including families whose insurance does not cover immunization. The COVID-19 vaccine is also available for students 5 and older with an exclusion order.
Drop ins are okay. No ID or insurance needed. Language interpreters available.
Year-Round Clinics
- All children ages 5-18 can get free vaccines at any location
- Located at local high schools, but a student doesn’t need to attend school there to get care
- We accept all types of insurance and serve the uninsured
- Free, no ID or insurance needed
- By appointment only, call 503-988-4724
- Language interpreters available
- Low or no-cost vaccinations for children, including uninsured
- Call 503-988-5558 to make a new patient appointment