On Thursday, April 1, the City of Chicago, in partnership with Howard Brown Health, launched a temporary vaccination clinic in the South Deering community at Trumbull Park. On the site’s opening day, more than 200 Black and Latinx community members received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The site was open as part of the City’s Protect Chicago Plus initiative, which has the goal of increasing vaccine uptake in the communities that have been most greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Protect Chicago Plus is a part of the overall strategy to ensure equity in vaccine distribution among the City’s most underserved communities. The goal is to eliminate any and all barriers that may prevent vulnerable community members from receiving their vaccines. By providing access directly within the heart of the community, community members are not burdened with traveling outside of their neighborhood to get vaccinated.
The temporary vaccination clinic in South Deering currently serves community members from Jeffery Manor, South Deering, part of Calumet Heights and surrounding areas of Trumbull Park and Vets Park. First dose vaccine appointments are available Thursdays and Saturdays through April 17. After receiving their first dose, community members are encouraged to return to the same location to receive their second dose of the vaccine within three-to-four weeks.
“It’s imperative to get these communities vaccinated because these are the communities that were the hardest hit with fatalities,” said Abe Narvaez, Practice Management for Mobile at Howard Brown Health. “Latinx and African American communities have been the most impacted by this virus, so it has been a priority for HBH to help the most vulnerable have access to the healthcare resources they need. The best thing we can do is to be directly in the community helping people get vaccinated and we’re planning to be here as long as we can to help as many people as possible.”
Vaccinations are offered at no cost and by appointment only to people who live in these communities. I.D. and insurance are not required but an address will need to be provided on the day of the appointment.
To learn more about vaccine eligibility at this clinic, visit rebrand.ly/SouthDeering. For the latest information on Chicago’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, please visit www.Chicago.gov/covidvax.
About Post Author
