Effort to give vaccine continues

By Sabrina Jennings / Contributing Writer

The Vaccine Action Collaborative held a Covid-19 vaccine clinic on Saturday at the Dale School Community Center. Held in the evening, in the large gym, children as young as 12 and adults of all ages, came and got vaccinated. All came from the immediate area of Dale, and after vaccination, recipients each got a ticket for a free item from the Johnson Brothers food truck in Dale.
Dexter Roland, a resident of St. John Colony, had already gotten vaccinated, but helped several neighbors and family members, including Larry Brown, sign up with VAC, and provided transportation to the clinic.
“I’m so excited to find people passionate about the health and well-being of my community! We’ve already lost so many and it really doesn’t make sense to not get vaccinated,” Roland said.
With funding provided by a grant from the St. David’s Foundation, the United Way, and Austin Community Foundation, the VAC formed to focus on Caldwell County and neighboring areas that have had lower vaccination rates in comparison to neighboring counties.
The VAC includes: Eikon Church, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Dale Corinth United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church, St. John Catholic Church, First United Methodist Church Luling, and William Taylor United Methodist Church.
“We believe that a key to reaching people is through relationships of trust, something we’ve already worked hard to build within our churches and with the wider community,” Rhonda Hunnicutt, a Wesley Nurse based at First UMC Luling, explained. “When it comes to making healthcare decisions such as getting vaccinated, people need to have confidence in where their information and guidance is coming from. That is what we can provide because we exist to serve the community.”
The VAC is reaching underserved communities by direct in-person outreach and education through churches, as well as in partnership with other non-profits, schools, libraries, and community centers. The VAC works by meeting people where they are, speaking with them about vaccination, addressing concerns and barriers.

For other questions or concerns regarding vaccination, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov) has lots of helpful information and is accessible in multiple languages. Locally, the healthcare providers at Community Health Centers of South Central Texas (www.chcsct.com), are happy to answer questions and provide guidance.
The VAC has upcoming clinics scheduled for:

Saturday, June 26 at Alma Brewer Strawn Elementary School from 5-7 p.m. in the cafeteria
Sunday, June 27 at William Taylor UMC in Luling from 12:30-4 p.m.

For more information you can contact the VAC at 512-333-0777 or e-mail community@eikonchurch.com