More than 250 people from communities of color received Covid-19 vaccinations on Friday at a pop-up clinic in East Hampton organized by the Organizacion Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island.
Held at the Parish Hall of Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, the clinic was part of a New York State effort to make sure minority communities receive access to the vaccine.
"COVID impacted communities of color at a much higher rate, and it exposed the inequalities that have existed in our nation's health care system for decades," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a statement announcing the pop-up sites.
Minerva Perez, the executive director of OLA and a member of the state's vaccine equity task force, had been advocating for more outreach to local minority groups, and was ultimately asked to organize the effort, she said on Monday. Once the state confirmed that it would make 250 doses available, OLA contacted some of the most vulnerable members of the Latino, Black, and Asian communities, including the elderly, those with chronic illnesses, and restaurant and grocery store workers.
Ms. Perez also reached out to the Rev. Ryan Creamer of Most Holy Trinity, who agreed to let OLA use the Parish Hall, and a medical team from Stony Brook Medicine was enlisted to administer the shots. After the 250 people selected to receive the vaccine provided confirmation that they met the state's eligibility requirements, they were confirmed for an appointment.
A line started forming outside the Parish Hall well before the clinic opened at 10 a.m. Maria Paula Calloway, who works at Cove Hollow Tavern in East Hampton and at Vine Street Cafe on Shelter Island, said she has been eager to get vaccinated because of her job and her health. "Not only do I work at a restaurant, but I'm also high risk because I have asthma," she said. "When this opportunity came I was praying to God that it would happen, and it did."
Antonia Turner also had "dual eligibility," she said. "I work in the school district in Riverhead and I have some underlying conditions." Ms. Turner, who heard about the clinic through a friend and through her church, had made several unsuccessful attempts to get vaccinated elsewhere. "Something like this is a lifesaver," she said. "I feel truly blessed, because at the rate it's been going, I had submitted myself to not being able to get the vaccine done until the end of summer or something."
Amy Chen, a member of the family that owns Chen's Garden restaurant in East Hampton, was on line with her sister and parents. She had previously been unable to get vaccination appointments for her parents, but at the clinic, the whole family was scheduled for shots.
Jack Gambino, who makes pizzas at Citarella in Bridgehampton, took a plastic bag filled with his medicines to get confirmation from the doctors present that adding the vaccine to the mix wouldn't cause a negative reaction. "I've been trying to go on the computer, and nothing works," he said of his previous attempts to find an appointment. "But this phone number they gave me worked, and I'm here."
Diego Valvuto, another Citarella employee, said he knows a few people who have contracted Covid, and was worried that interacting with the public at his job made him particularly vulnerable. He also appreciated the effort to make sure all East End residents had access to a vaccine. "I think it's really important that they're helping minorities," he said.
Florence and Albert Brown, 87 and 85 respectively, drove from Southampton to get their shots. "I had tried to get one at a church in Hampton Bays a couple weeks ago, another opportunity at a Baptist church in Riverhead was delayed, and in the meantime this came up," said Mr. Brown. "This means a lot."
In case any of the 250 people scheduled for appointments failed to show, OLA had 150 more names on a waitlist, 50 of whom were designated high priority, said Ms. Perez. When it became apparent that an extra 10 doses could be extracted from the vaccine vials, the organization contacted 10 members of the latter group. "They showed up in, like, 15 minutes," she said.
Putting a nice twist on the vaccination process, OLA offered a gift bag to everyone who got vaccinated. "This is the Hamptons after all," said Ms. Perez. The bag contained a granola bar, a juice box, and information on available resources for those in need.
In three weeks, OLA will gear up again at Most Holy Trinity to provide second doses to those who received their first shots on Friday. "We'll text people to remind them of the follow-up vaccine," she said.
Ms. Perez has also been talking to East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc and Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez about finding ways to make sure people of color have access to the vaccines that will be distributed at the mass vaccination site the town has established at the Child Development Center of the Hamptons building. "It's imperative that this continue," she said.
"COVID impacted communities of color at a much higher rate, and it exposed the inequalities that have existed in our nation's health care system for decades," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a statement announcing the pop-up sites.
Minerva Perez, the executive director of OLA and a member of the state's vaccine equity task force, had been advocating for more outreach to local minority groups, and was ultimately asked to organize the effort, she said on Monday. Once the state confirmed that it would make 250 doses available, OLA contacted some of the most vulnerable members of the Latino, Black, and Asian communities, including the elderly, those with chronic illnesses, and restaurant and grocery store workers.
Ms. Perez also reached out to the Rev. Ryan Creamer of Most Holy Trinity, who agreed to let OLA use the Parish Hall, and a medical team from Stony Brook Medicine was enlisted to administer the shots. After the 250 people selected to receive the vaccine provided confirmation that they met the state's eligibility requirements, they were confirmed for an appointment.
A line started forming outside the Parish Hall well before the clinic opened at 10 a.m. Maria Paula Calloway, who works at Cove Hollow Tavern in East Hampton and at Vine Street Cafe on Shelter Island, said she has been eager to get vaccinated because of her job and her health. "Not only do I work at a restaurant, but I'm also high risk because I have asthma," she said. "When this opportunity came I was praying to God that it would happen, and it did."
Antonia Turner also had "dual eligibility," she said. "I work in the school district in Riverhead and I have some underlying conditions." Ms. Turner, who heard about the clinic through a friend and through her church, had made several unsuccessful attempts to get vaccinated elsewhere. "Something like this is a lifesaver," she said. "I feel truly blessed, because at the rate it's been going, I had submitted myself to not being able to get the vaccine done until the end of summer or something."
Amy Chen, a member of the family that owns Chen's Garden restaurant in East Hampton, was on line with her sister and parents. She had previously been unable to get vaccination appointments for her parents, but at the clinic, the whole family was scheduled for shots.
Jack Gambino, who makes pizzas at Citarella in Bridgehampton, took a plastic bag filled with his medicines to get confirmation from the doctors present that adding the vaccine to the mix wouldn't cause a negative reaction. "I've been trying to go on the computer, and nothing works," he said of his previous attempts to find an appointment. "But this phone number they gave me worked, and I'm here."
Diego Valvuto, another Citarella employee, said he knows a few people who have contracted Covid, and was worried that interacting with the public at his job made him particularly vulnerable. He also appreciated the effort to make sure all East End residents had access to a vaccine. "I think it's really important that they're helping minorities," he said.
Florence and Albert Brown, 87 and 85 respectively, drove from Southampton to get their shots. "I had tried to get one at a church in Hampton Bays a couple weeks ago, another opportunity at a Baptist church in Riverhead was delayed, and in the meantime this came up," said Mr. Brown. "This means a lot."
In case any of the 250 people scheduled for appointments failed to show, OLA had 150 more names on a waitlist, 50 of whom were designated high priority, said Ms. Perez. When it became apparent that an extra 10 doses could be extracted from the vaccine vials, the organization contacted 10 members of the latter group. "They showed up in, like, 15 minutes," she said.
Putting a nice twist on the vaccination process, OLA offered a gift bag to everyone who got vaccinated. "This is the Hamptons after all," said Ms. Perez. The bag contained a granola bar, a juice box, and information on available resources for those in need.
In three weeks, OLA will gear up again at Most Holy Trinity to provide second doses to those who received their first shots on Friday. "We'll text people to remind them of the follow-up vaccine," she said.
Ms. Perez has also been talking to East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc and Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez about finding ways to make sure people of color have access to the vaccines that will be distributed at the mass vaccination site the town has established at the Child Development Center of the Hamptons building. "It's imperative that this continue," she said.