Written by guest writer Shaili Shouche, Avenue Intern and incoming senior at Glenda Dawson High School.
With the severe rise in Covid-19 cases seen in 2021, the approval of three effective Covid-19 vaccines in the United States is a large step in the right direction in returning to a sense of normalcy and achieving herd immunity. However, the initial stages of vaccinations saw upper-class and highly privileged individuals being prioritized in the vaccination process, leaving a large gap in vaccinated citizens.
To help reduce this gap and make the vaccination process simple for Northside residents, Avenue partnered with HISD, Friends of Northside, and Katy Medical Clinic in order to host a vaccination drive at Northside High School this past May. Along with numerous volunteers, the event garnered support from Councilwoman Karla Cisneros and Representative Penny Morales Shaw.
Prior to the event, Avenue’s Community Initiatives team assisted in outreach by calling individuals to remind them of the opportunity to get vaccinated, as well as sharing virtual and paper flyers.
With Katy Medical Clinic providing 500 Pfizer vaccines and 15 nurses to administer the first dose of vaccines and monitor recipients after their shot, the event was highly equipped to serve the needs of the community. In addition, other generous donations included face masks and gloves from Councilwoman Karla Cisneros as well as disposable bags, needles, and other medical supplies from Representative Penny Morales Shaw. Traffic control courtesy of HISD helped the event run smoothly, directing traffic efficiently and helping individuals locate the event quickly. A sense of true hospitality was shown by the donations of food and drinks from Little Caesars and Cane’s, provided for vaccine recipients. Avenue staff were on hand to take temperatures, check paperwork, and ensure the event ran with no hindrances.
Avenue followed this up with a second event so that individuals could return for their second dose. In addition, due to the popularity of the first event, teenagers and newly-eligible children over 12 were able to receive their first doses.
As a whole, this event was highly successful in providing locals easy access to vaccination, a crucial step in protecting individuals from the pandemic and bringing the community together in order to help its people!