Second community-based vaccine clinic a success
A group of local pastors met with USA Health staff about bringing similar clinics to areas where residents may be at a higher risk for complications from the virus and less likely to get vaccinated.
More than 300 residents of the Mobile Terrace and Hillsdale communities received injections of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from USA Health staff members during a drive-through clinic at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church as part of a community-based partnership with area leaders, USA Health and the City of Mobile.
At the drive-through clinic, held on March 4, people could be seen rolling down their windows to talk to friends in neighboring cars.
“A lot of the people being vaccinated today are members of our congregation,” said Rev. Corey Brown, senior pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. “Many of our members haven’t seen each other in person in a year, since we haven’t gathered as a church since March of 2020. This event is not only an opportunity for people living in our community to come out and receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, it also provides a safe space for our members to see familiar faces and catch up with one another.”
After USA Health began giving vaccinations at a drive-through site at the Mobile Civic Center in January, a group of local pastors met with USA Health staff about bringing similar clinics to areas where residents may be at a higher risk for complications from the virus and less likely to get vaccinated.
Though Brown never envisioned his church serving as the site of a drive-through vaccination clinic, he is not surprised. “As a church nestled in the community, it is our duty to step up and provide what our community needs most – and right now, that is a vaccine.”
Since Dec. 15, 2020, USA Health has provided more than 35,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to those deemed eligible through the Alabama Department of Public Health. Up to 1,000 doses of vaccine are given each day, Monday through Friday, at the Mobile Civic Center Arena in downtown Mobile.
USA Health’s online registry is a fast and efficient way for eligible people to arrange for appointments to be vaccinated at our vaccination center at the Mobile Civic Center.
People who want to receive a vaccination can register at https://c19vaccine.southalabama.edu/.
