A Shot in the Arm for High-Risk Residents

To meet the pressing need for COVID-19 immunizations among the state’s most vulnerable populations, the Lifespan Community Health Institute (LCHI) is partnering with local organizations to provide vaccines at no cost to those who need them most. 

Through a combination of civic engagement, science-based education, and co-located clinics, Lifespan Community Health Institute aims to reduce vaccine hesitancy and target high-risk populations, including the elderly and Black and Latinx individuals living in high-density neighborhoods most impacted by the pandemic.

“A complement to Lifespan’s ongoing efforts to vaccinate employees, health care workers, and patients, our community-based clinics take the vaccine directly into senior housing sites, congregate care settings, and trusted community centers, ensuring that the people most severely impacted by COVID have the opportunity to restore security and stability,” said Carrie Bridges, director of community health services.

Bethel AME Church in Providence is working with Lifespan Community Health Institute to expand the reach of vaccinations for the underserved and hard-to-reach populations in their community. Offering vaccines at a familiar site like a place of worship helps leverage a known, safe space and trusted voices in the community to make vaccination easy, unthreatening, and accessible.

Following guidelines from the Rhode Island Department of Health, clinics began on March 11 at Bethel and will be held weekly from 2  to 6 p.m. on Thursdays through the end of March. Vaccines are currently available to individuals age 60 +. 

Additionally, Lifespan Community Health Institute is hosting vaccination clinics for educators and early childcare providers in Providence and Pawtucket on Wednesdays and Saturdays through the end of the month. 

“These clinics are invaluable,” Bridges said. “They let those who are most vulnerable know they have a partner in the health care.”