San Gabriel, CA - To ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccinations for hard-to-reach and under-served members of the community, the Herald Christian Health Center (HCHC) has launched community-based COVID-19 vaccination centers at select locations across the San Gabriel Valley. In partnership with the cities of San Gabriel, Monterey Park, Arcadia, Temple City and Rosemead, HCHC has helped overcome language, technology and transportation barriers for these hard-to-reach and under-served communities and provided equitable access to the vaccine for community members who are eligible but have not otherwise been able to get appointments.
HCHC has collaborated with local cities, school districts, community groups and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to administer over 9,000 vaccinations to seniors, school district teachers and staff and other essential workers. This month, the Herald Christian Health Center has begun administering vaccines to an expanded list of eligible groups, including grocery store, restaurant and other food service employees.
“Ensuring equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine is critically important for our efforts to combat this global public health crisis,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “It is a privilege to join with Herald Christian Health Center and local leaders in the community to support ample distribution of COVID-19 vaccine supply to help our residents stay safe and return to a sense of normalcy.”
“I am grateful to Herald Christian Health Center and CORE Response for partnering with our cities in the San Gabriel Valley to ensure our most vulnerable community members are vaccinated,” shared Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis. “Community partnerships are a critical component of ensuring an equitable distribution of the COVID vaccine and this partnership is a prime example of that. I would like to further commend San Gabriel Mayor Denise Menchaca and Councilmember Jason Pu for their leadership in recognizing the need within their community and establishing this partnership with Herald Christian Health Center, one of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s community partners in this vaccination effort.”
Together, HCHC and the City of San Gabriel have been able to reach thousands of hard-to-reach community members who were eligible for a vaccine, but were not able to otherwise get appointments by launching a COVID-19 vaccination center at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. HCHC and the City of San Gabriel have reached out to seniors, interfaith, nonprofits, Native Americans, school district and business communities to overcome supply limitations and language, technology and transportation barriers to ensure that eligible community members can get access to the COVID-19 vaccine. In doing so, HCHC and the City of San Gabriel have helped to ensure equitable access to the vaccine for the San Gabriel community.
“We are proud to partner with local organizations to facilitate access to critical resources during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said San Gabriel Mayor Denise Menchaca. “The Herald Christian Health Center has provided a tremendous service to the community, and is a vital part of our continued effort to ensure that teachers and essential workers – as well as under-served members of our community – have access to vaccinations.”
Herald Christian has also introduced vaccination hubs in the City of Monterey Park, the City of Arcadia, the City of Temple City and the City of Rosemead, which are available to community members by appointment on select dates.
“As COVID-19 vaccines become available, we continue to advocate for the unders-erved segments of the community,” said Herald Christian Health Center CEO Carolin Eng. “Simply put, our mission is to close the disparity gap and reach those who may experience a language barrier, technology challenges and transportation limitations to ensure all can have access to the vaccine.”
For more important information about vaccination appointments, please visit PublicHealth.LACounty.gov.
