Neighborhoods on Flint’s east side site of this week’s mobile vaccination unit: free lunch, shots offered Thursday and Saturday

Posted on Oct 19, 2021

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 in the neighborhoods near Davison Road and North Franklin Ave area Thursday, Oct. 21 and Saturday, Oct. 23 from 12 noon to 3 p.m. 

Genesee County’s rate of full vaccination stood at 46.8 per cent, as of Oct. 19 an increase of 0.1 per cent since last week, according to the Genesee County Health Department (GCHD).

(Photo source: GFHC)

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, Oct. 21 and Saturday, Oct. 23 in neighborhoods near Davison Road and North Franklin Ave from 12 noon to 3 p.m.

Davison Road and North Franklin Ave are located just east of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and a few blocks west of Luigi’s restaurant.

If groups or organizations are interested in having a mobile COVID-19 outreach in their 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).

Genesee Community Health van in the greater Flint area neighborhoods offering Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations, meals and information about the vaccine. (Photo by Tom Travis)

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 below 50 per cent mark in COVID-19 vaccination rates

As of Oct. 19, 855 more Genesee County residents have been vaccinated since the previous week. A total of 357,051  Genesee County residents have received the COVID-19 vaccination. 

Lapeer County, immediately east of Genesee County, is 52.25 per cent  fully-vaccinated, Shiawassee County is at 57.37 per cent fully-vaccinated, Tuscola County, northeast of Genesee County, is at 51.22 per cent fully-vaccinated while Cass County, in the lower southwest corner of Michigan, remains the county with the lowest rate at 41.66 per cent fully-vaccinated, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Each of these counties have had increases between 0.5 per cent and three per cent change since last week.

The Genesee County Health Department website stated that Genesee County has a COVID-19 positivity rate of 15 per cent as of Oct. 19. 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.

James Henthorn, 19, receiving a booster vaccine of Moderna after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in April. Dr. Mukkamala is administering the vaccination in his Flint Township office. (Photo by Tom Travis)

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.