Gov. Polis Partners with Community-Based Organizations, Hosts Clinics as Part of Vaccines for All Plan
DENVER - As part of Governor Polis’ Vaccines for All efforts, the State of Colorado is allocating vaccines to community-based organizations across the state to host more than 20 vaccination clinics between Friday, April 2 - Thursday, April 8, 2021. These clinics will focus on vaccinating underserved Coloradans and span a variety of diverse communities.
“Colorado is ready to move forward from this pandemic, and to ensure that everyone can return to our Colorado way of life, rapid and equitable distribution of the vaccine is key,” said Governor Jared Polis. “Since day one, my administration has been focused on making sure everyone who wants a vaccine can get one. Equitable distribution of this life-saving vaccine wouldn’t be possible without all the partners across our state working tirelessly to help us reach our goals.”
Each of the following clinics are not accepting walk in appointments. You must have an appointment to attend.
FRIDAY, APRIL 2
Aurora Mental Health
“Aurora Mental Health Center is proud to partner with our affiliate Asian Pacific Development Center to host another vaccine clinic focused on increasing the equity of the vaccine distribution. We look forward to vaccinating many of our community members in North Aurora who have been unable to access the vaccine in other ways due to a variety of barriers. We are very grateful to Governor Polis for this program as it aligns so well with our values and our focus on helping our community members live life to the fullest,” said Kirsten Anderson, Vice President of Clinical Operations and Disaster Coordinator.
Pine River Shares
“Pine River Shares works to build health equity in the rural and frontier communities of Pine River Valley in eastern La Plata county. Because of our remote location, our 15,000 residents struggle with geographic and social isolation, food insecurity, transportation and economic barriers that impact our ability to thrive. As a trusted community-based organization, we can reach folks who might otherwise have declined a COVID 19 vaccine. We were thrilled for the opportunity to partner with CDPHE to host a Vaccine Equity clinic. We recently learned that our rural fire department will be staffing the clinic. It’s hard to imagine a better partnership to ensure the equitable distribution of COVID19 vaccines,” said Pam Willhoite, Director.
Filipino American Community of Colorado
"FACC is blessed to have the center to continue to serve our community. Although we focus on underserved communities we welcome everybody. The more people we can reach, help and educate the faster we can get to living safely and healthily. We will continue to conduct the Covid-19 Pop-Up Clinic until most of the surrounding counties are vaccinated,” said Vivian Egonio-Norman, Public Relations Officer.
Routt County Public Health
“Routt County will be holding two equity clinics in the next week. For our first clinic we requested the J&J one dose vaccine as we live in a resort community with a transient population of restaurant workers. Many restaurant workers plan to leave town before a second dose of vaccine would be administered. For our second equity clinic we are working in conjunction with Integrated Communities to reach our non-English speaking populations. All of our communication has been done in Spanish and French as to make sure we are reaching the targeted demographic. We will be holding a Q&A session a few days before the clinic to make sure any hesitancy questions and concerns are addressed,” said Brooke Maxwell, RN, BSN /Public Health Nurse.
SATURDAY, APRIL 3
St. Mary’s Church
"This weekend will mark the third vaccination event at St Mary's Ethiopian Orthodox Church. These vaccination events have provided our community a convenient and trusted venue for vaccine administration. All the available COVID vaccines are safe and effective with strong research behind their development. Acceptance for the vaccine has grown tremendously in our community which has been very exciting as the COVID vaccine is an important tool for slowing down and ultimately stopping the spread of this virus. Given the rise of different variants and the rise of cases in various countries around the world and across various cities in the US, the effort to vaccinate as many Coloradans as quickly as possible in the coming weeks is key to preventing another spike in cases in our state. As an Ethiopian-American physician, I am honored to be serving my community in this capacity. Having treated COVID in the hospital setting, vaccinations are the ray of hope many physicians have been looking for during this long fight,” said Amen Sergew, MD, Pulmonary/Critical Care Assistant Professor.
Inner City Health Center
“The power is in the community. It’s family, friends, and neighbors who make the difference in encouraging people to seek vaccination. This pivotal fact is vividly evidenced in nearly every COVID vaccine we render. It is perhaps the most essential element in achieving the goal of getting our nation's underserved communities and those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 vaccinated against the disease,” said Kraig Burleson, Chief Executive Officer.
MONDAY, APRIL 5
Moffat County Public Health
“A woman came through our clinic who had not left her home in over a year because of health conditions making her severely at risk for poor outcomes of COVID-19. The nurse touching her arm was the first physical touch she had experienced in a year because of how fearful she has been of the virus. The nurse told her the most significant side effect of the vaccine she should experience is hope. Moffat County Public Health continues to offer hope and that is a beautiful gift to our communities,” said Kari Ladrow, Moffat County Public Health Director.
Link to photos of Moffat County Public Health
TUESDAY, APRIL 6
Eagle County Public Health
“Each vaccine clinic requires the commitment from many partners and volunteers to participate in a coordinated effort to serve all members of our community. What we are finding is that each clinic brings hope and joy to both the people working the clinic and those receiving the vaccine, whether it’s a mobile clinic in a traditionally underserved neighborhood or a mass vaccination clinic at the fairgrounds. It’s an honor to serve, to work alongside our community, and we're ready to get vaccines to everyone who wants one regardless of their access to healthcare, their income, where they live, or the color of their skin,” said Jacquelyn Hammel, Public Health Nurse, Eagle County Public Health & Environment.
Link to photos of Eagle County Public Health
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7
The Holleran Group
“At The Holleran Group, we believe our work in building strong, equitable, inclusive and sustainable communities starts with empowering its people. With this vaccine clinic, we look forward to playing a local role in addressing the health disparities our communities of color have faced. This includes the Covid-19 pandemic that has disproportionately impacted marginalized groups,” said Ty Hubbard, Co-Founder & Managing Broker.
Blue Spruce Temporary Shelter
“Caring for the health and wellbeing of our guests experiencing homeless is always Fort Collins Rescue Mission’s highest priority. As members of our Northern Colorado community, these individuals are now getting this life-saving resource and we couldn’t be more appreciative. We want to thank our partners at Homeward Alliance and the Health District of Larimer County for helping with clinic set-up, as well as The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment for providing and administering the vaccine,” said Seth Forwood, Senior Director of Fort Collins Rescue Mission.
Link to photos of Blue Spruce Temporary Shelter
THURSDAY, APRIL 8
The Independence Center
“The Independence Center is happy to be part of Governor Polis’ ‘Vaccines for All’ plan. Hosting this clinic has enabled us to provide the Covid-19 vaccine to people with disabilities and those who may have challenges with accessibility at other locations. We’ve also utilized the State’s website to deliver useful, credible information to our clients, consumers and home health workers about the importance of getting the vaccine,” said Indy Frazee, Home Health Administrator.
Voces Unidas
"Voces Unidas is proud to partner with the Governor’s Vaccine Equity Team in order to reach more members of our community who continue to be left out by the traditional ecosystem. Our staff and volunteers are working directly with employers to make sure that hospitality, restaurant and construction workers have more access points to the vaccine in our region,” said Alex Sánchez, Executive Director.