SCRANTON, Pa. — A mass vaccination clinic Tuesday inside the gym at Nativity Miguel School on Hemlock Street in Scranton had a specific goal: get shots into the arms of the immigrant community in the city.
Pedro Anes is a member of Lackawanna County's Kick COVID-19 Task Force. He helped to get people signed up for the clinic. He told Newswatch 16 the Latinx community has faced several vaccination hurdles, including misinformation about vaccine safety and challenges booking appointments during the beginning of the vaccine rollout.
"The third one that's emerged is the actual multicultural outreach in multiple languages because just reaching out to an organization is not enough. It has to be 'each one, reach one' in their own language, someone they trust," Anes said.
Lackawanna County teamed up with Medicap Pharmacy to provide both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots at the clinic.
United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA was on hand to help translate and answer questions for patients.
"Every person that I see get a vaccine I feel like, 'ok, one more and we're one more closer.' I think it's essential in the community for all of us to be vaccinated so we can continue to move out of this pandemic," said Sarah Bodnar of UNC of NEPA.
The organizers of the clinic kept repeating the phrase, 'each one, reach one.' Their hope is that each person who was vaccinated at the clinic would reach out to a family member or friend and influence them to get the vaccine.
The Benjuman family from Scranton all got their first dose at the clinic. Speaking to Newswatch 16 through a translator, Martha Benjuman said she was excited to get her vaccine.
"There's a reason there are experts in the field, and the vaccine provides a bit of a safety measure for people. With the help of this program, with the help of UNC and everybody else taking part [I] feel very appreciative that this is taking place," she said.
The same team is also working to reach out to the Bhutanese and Nepalese populations in Scranton and has several more clinics like this one planned.