By Tom Travis
A new community collaboration is bringing Covid vaccines, water, meals and other resources to Flint neighborhoods again this week, with free lunch and COVID-19 vaccines available at Max Brandon Park noon to 3 p.m. Thursday. Sept. 23 and Friday, Sept. 25.
The Greater Flint Health Coalition (GFHC) has created a partnership with Genesee Community Health Center (GCHC), the Genesee County Community Action Resource Department’s (GCCARD) Meet Up and Eat Up program, and the United Way of Genesee County (UWGC) to provide neighborhood-based COVID-19 vaccine opportunities for residents.
Upcoming mobile vaccination units:
- Thursday, Sept. 23 in the neighborhoods surrounding Max Brandon Park 12 noon to 3 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 25 in the neighborhoods surrounding Max Brandon Park 12 noon to 3 p.m.
Max Brandon Park is located at the corners of Pasadena Ave. and Dupont St.
If groups or organizations are interested in having a mobile COVID-19 outreach in your area they can contact Nichole Smith-Anderson at the GFHC at nsmithanderson@flint.org or by calling (810)232-2228.
Each vaccine mobile unit is staffed with nurses and outreach workers from the partner organizations to provide education about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines are available in each mobile unit.
Residents should look for the Meet Up and Eat Up truck (pictured above) or the Genesee Community Health van (pictured below).
Greater Flint Health Coalition community health workers from Genesee CHAP (Community Health Access Program) are also present on each trip to connect residents to other community resources and support services if needed, according to a press release from The Greater Flint Health Coalition.
Genesee County continues to lag in COVID-19 vaccination rates
As of Sept. 22 Genesee County is 45.3 per cent fully-vaccinated according to the Genesee County Health Department. And according to the Centers for Disease Control as of Sept. 22 76.6 per cent of the U.S. population has at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination. In late August the Genesee County vaccination rate was 45.6 per cent, according tot he Genesee County Health Department.
The CDC website also notes that 19.8 per cent of Genesee County population is “living in poverty”. The mobile vaccination units traveling throughout the greater Flint area are especially targeting low-income areas.
On Sept. 2 the Genesee County Health Department adjusted their mask mandate to include pre-kindergarten and grades 7 through 12. The GCHD said that until Genesee County transmission is categorized as “moderate” by the CDC this mask mandate will remain. The added grades mask mandate order will go into effect on Tuesday, Sept 7.
Updated information about COVID-19 vaccinations can be found at GFHC website www.gfhc.org/about/covid-19 and also at the Genesee County Health Department website www.gchd.us/coronavirus.
EVM Managing Editor Tom Travis can be reached at tomntravis@gmail.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.