100th Vaccine Clinic!
Dignitaries and Supporters Applaud 100th Vaccine Clinic
Dozens of dignitaries, supporters and grateful guests turned out Wednesday afternoon at Vallejo’s Cooper Elementary to recognize the 100th Touro CARES MVP clinic.
The clinics kicked off May 15, 2020 just as the MassVax events at the Vallejo fairgrounds were winding down. MVP, or Mobile Vaccine Program, grew from the MassVax effort where Touro volunteers, along with support from Kaiser Permanente, Solano Public Health, Medic Ambulance, NorthBay Medical, and Sutter Health, helped vaccinate more than 100,000 people when the COVID vaccines first hit the market.
MVP developed as a way to take the vaccination effort to underserved communities and vulnerable populations throughout Solano County to reach people with healthcare access hurdles.
Since the first vaccine clinic, MPV has help provide service to more than 6,500 guests, administer nearly 4,500 vaccine doses, and benefitted from more than 5,000 volunteer hours.
It was the 100th clinic overall and the 33rd in Vallejo alone. Around 55% of those vaccinated have been children 17 and under.
Funding for the clinics came from Kaiser Permanente, Partnership HealthPlan, and East Bay Community Foundation.
In her comments to the audience gathered at the event, Touro Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Sarah Sweitzer thanked and acknowledged the clinic’s coordinators, Drs. Fatima Hernandez, Denise Yeung, Lucinda Chan, Tami Hendriksz, and Kathy Hahn. She also thanked the student ambassadors and other student volunteers gathered at the event.
Kaiser Permanente’s Dr. Kendra McNeil said in a short address, “working within the community is what we’re all about,” Dr. McNeil recognized the line of people waiting for the clinic to open. “It’s so imperative that we make sure our communities are safe, are protected, and are educated when it comes to COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines.”
The Vallejo City Unified School District has been an active partner in many of the clinics. Mitch Romao, Assistant Superintendent, Operations, said the district was grateful for everything the volunteers have done.
“This district is so fortunate to have a medical school literally right down the road,” Romao said. “They truly are remarkable and generous and we cannot say enough about them.” Romao also thanked parents for bringing their children in to get vaccinated to help ensure students can stay in classrooms safely.
Sonja Bjork from Partnership HealthPlan, whose organization serves more than 125,000 Medi-Cal members in Solano County, was thankful the different partners were able to work together to provide this service to the community.
“We are so happy that many (PHP members) have gotten their vaccines through these clinics, including the MassVax clinic.”
With as many as a half dozen clinics happening each week, it won’t take long before MVP reaches the 200 clinic milestone.