Allegheny Health Network’s Jefferson Hospital held a covid-19 vaccination clinic for minority patients over the age of 75 on Feb. 4.
According to Nikki Buccina, a media representative for AHN, 242 patients received their first dose of the vaccine.
The clinic, which was by appointment only, was open to minority patients over the age of 75 “who live in communities near the hospital that rank high on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index, which measures factors such as socioeconomic status, housing type and transportation access,” according to a news release.
“In order to effectively bring this pandemic to a close, we must make testing, prevention and treatment more readily available to everyone,” said Dr. Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, AHN’s Chief Clinical Diversity and Inclusion Officer. “(The) clinic at AHN Jefferson is just a small step to achieving health equity and removing barriers so that all members of our community can have equitable access to the covid-19 vaccine.”
The release stated that as AHN receives more supplies of the vaccine in the coming weeks, it plans to deploy a mobile vaccine distribution program.
