Everett Vaccine Day Brings COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics to Everett Churches, Community
Cambridge Health Alliance mobile vaccination program connects with hard-to-reach populations
EVERETT, Mass. -- On Sunday, July 18, Cambridge Health Alliance, a community health system serving Cambridge, Somerville and Boston's metro-north communities, teamed with Tufts Health Plan, the Everett Haitian Community Center, La Communidad, LUMA, the Joint Committee for Children's Health Care in Everett, the City of Everett and local churches to host mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinics at five locations in Everett: First Baptist Church of Everett, Igreja Universal, Latinos Unidos en Massachusetts, the Haitian Church of God of Unity and our Lady of Grace Parish. Combined with another mobile clinic the day before at Zion Church Ministries in Everett, CHA vaccinated nearly 200 people in Everett over the weekend.
"As we work to vaccinate the hardest-to-reach individuals in our communities in an effort to end this pandemic, we know how important it is to bring the vaccine directly to convenient and trusted sites with multilingual support and access," said Kathleen Betts, Cambridge Health Alliance’s senior director of community health improvement.
“Individuals who were previously reluctant to listen to their own doctors received the vaccine after being validated by their pastors, community leaders they recognize and people they trust," said Stephanie Martins, Everett City Councilor. “It is huge that in three hours we were able to vaccinate so many individuals from all age groups. I was proud to be part of the efforts including registering individuals in their own language where I witnessed entire families get the shot."
“It was a great success and blew out my expectations," said Pastor Guival Mercedat of the Haitian Church of God and Unity.
The next Everett Vaccine Day will take place on August 8 for second doses of the vaccine -- it will also serve as another opportunity for people to get their first dose.