We received very short notice about the June 9 webinar inviting faith communities to collaborate with a pharmacy partners to become COVID19 vaccination sites. The webinar recording, a toolkit, and answers to questions about this mission opportunity are available below.
We can live into our SWC mission as “welcoming and affirming followers of Jesus called to embody God’s unconditional justice and love in the world” by:
Building confidence in the vaccine
Providing a path for people who’ve been marginalized, especially un/under documented people, migrating people new to the US, and people without a roof under which to live, to be vaccinated
Promoting the health and wellbeing of everyone in our communities
A vaccination partnership is a great ecumenical or interfaith project! Thanks for prayerfully discerning whether your church can be a vaccination site in your community.
If you were not able to make it or if you would like to re-watch the webinar, a recording is available here.
The new toolkit described on the webinar highlights how your house of worship can help people get vaccinated in a place they know and trust (note: in the toolkit, houses of worship are referenced as “host organizations”). The toolkit is also available in Spanish.
Please note that each pharmacy partner has a different approach, and the answers from our pharmacy partner in the webinar are not representative of all partners. We encourage houses of worship interested in serving as vaccination sites to reach out to partners listed in the toolkit to start a conversation about how to set up a vaccination event that works for your community.
At https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/, you can also download flyers and other resources to use in your community as you promote COVID-19 vaccination in your community. There are resources for multiple community groups as well as tools you can use to learn how to talk to people about the COVID-19 vaccinations.
At that same site, you can sign up to Join the Month of Action and tell us what you are doing to support vaccinations in your local community. Just click on “Take Action” on at https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/. We can all do something to help get the country to 70% of people with at least one shot by July 4th.
Here are a few common questions from the chat during the webinar and answers to some of those questions.
Q: Will the vaccine be administered free of charge?
A: Absolutely! Vaccines are free of charge to all individuals, and available to all individuals regardless of immigration or insurance status.
Q: Are recipients of the vaccine at a vaccination event required to show identification?
A: While ID may be asked for, it is NOT required for individuals to provide ID in order to be vaccinated.
Q: How do I find a partner who can support a vaccination event in our community?
A: Included in the toolkit is a list of partners who work with organizations to offer vaccination clinics. Review the list to identify a partner close to your community and reach out through the email address provided in the toolkit. You can also visit Vaccines.gov or text your zip code to 438829 to find the vaccine providers nearest to you. Partners can then connect you with the appropriate contact in your local community.
Q: Is there a minimum attendance requirement to set up these clinics?
A: Many partners do not have any minimum requirements, while others may. To learn more, reach out to any of the partners listed in the toolkit to start the conversation about how to set up a clinic that works for your community.
Q: How many volunteers are needed to host a vaccination event?
A: This will vary based on the details of the clinic and may vary by pharmacy partner. Please share information about your plans with the pharmacy partner to determine what is needed.
Q: Can you have a combination of scheduled and walk-in vaccinations at a vaccination event?
A: Absolutely! Many of our partners have the ability to do both scheduled and walk-in vaccinations for these clinics.
Q: Can you have a drive-through vaccination event?
A: Partners may have the ability to set up drive-through vaccination clinics. Please reach out to partners to see what is possible.
Q: Which vaccine would be offered at the clinic?
A: Most of our partners offer all authorized vaccines across their networks. Please reach out to partners to see what is possible.
Q: How can we get the word out about the vaccination event?
A: A number of resources are available at https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/ to help promote your vaccination event. You can also register with the Month of Action to list your event and increase awareness of the vaccination efforts in your community.
Q: Are there financial resources to support vaccination events in local communities?
A: Faith-based and community partners can review the Resource Guide for Faith-based and Community-based Organizations Fighting COVID-19 for additional information.