Event Saturday, May 22, Kicks Off Next Phase of ADHS Vaccination Outreach in Phoenix Kicks off door-to-door canvassing in underserved neighborhoods and has free vaccination clinic
PHOENIX — A pop-up vaccination clinic for kids and a neighborhood canvassing event Saturday, May 22, will launch the next phase of targeted outreach by Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and partners in underserved areas disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. To be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Grant Park, 701 S. Third Ave. near downtown Phoenix, the event will kick off outreach that includes knocking on doors and distributing yard signs promoting COVID-19 vaccination. This outreach focuses on Phoenix City Council Districts 7 and 8, which cover neighborhoods east, south, and west of downtown Phoenix and include much of the Maryvale area. In partnership with ADHS, the Equality Health and HeroZona foundations are organizing a children's vaccination clinic at the event, continuing its One Community Initiative Against COVID-19. Kids 12 and older, along with their parents, are eligible for this free event. An event offering second doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be held June 12 at the same park.. "Mass-vaccination sites have done a great job of getting limited supplies of vaccine into the community quickly and efficiently," said ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ. "Now, with vaccine readily available throughout the state, we will increase our focus on promoting vaccination at the neighborhood level in partnership with local health departments and other groups." To register for the Grant Park vaccination event, which lasts from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., please call 888.587.3647. Walk-ins are welcome as well. Saturday's event advances targeted outreach that began with an ADHS pilot program in ZIP code 85009, just west of downtown Phoenix and has expanded to the Phoenix City Council districts, Yuma County, and parts of Mesa. Outreach in each community has included telephone town halls in English and Spanish as well as targeted social media posts. The next phase, which starts Saturday for the Phoenix City Council districts, includes distributing yard signs and going door-to-door to explain the benefits of vaccination and helps direct residents to providers. One of the partners in Saturday's Grant Park event is nearby Lowell School, which is promoting vaccination for children ages 12-15. Attendees can take home yard signs that promote the benefits of vaccination. A review of the data suggests that this targeted outreach is having measurable success, with a percentage point increase in vaccination exceeding that of the state as a whole: - In ZIP code 85009, the share of residents with at least one dose of vaccine increased nearly 18% from 14.7% to 32.5% between March 21 and May 2.
- In Phoenix City Council District 8, vaccination coverage increased over 22%, from 25.1% in late March to 47.7% in early May.
- In District 7, the increase was also over 22% as well, from 23.5% to 46.2%.
Statewide during the same time period, there was a 13% increase in vaccine coverage, with 29% of the total population receiving at least one dose by March 21 compared to 42% who had received at least one dose by May 2. Since December, 5,599,098 doses of safe, highly effective, and free COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Arizona to 3,169,782 individuals, including 2,660,462 who are fully vaccinated. State-run vaccination sites in the Phoenix area, Tucson, Yuma, and Flagstaff have administered 1,559,932 doses to 852,545 individuals, including 755,673 who are fully vaccinated. Today, the COVID-19 vaccine is readily available at hundreds of locations in communities across Arizona, including standalone pharmacies, grocery store pharmacies, pop-up clinics, and an increasing number of doctors' offices and other neighborhood providers. Last month, ADHS enabled doctors' offices and other providers to order the Moderna vaccine directly from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rather than through county health departments. This week, ADHS has expanded that access to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine, which is available to those 12 and older. To find a location near you offering COVID-19 vaccination, please visit azdhs.gov/FindVaccine, which links to registration information and allows visitors to search for sites offering different types of vaccine. Vaccine outreach by ADHS complements that of local health departments, whose efforts have included pop-up clinics in neighborhoods and at workplaces. On May 13, the first day ages 12 to 15 could be vaccinated against COVID-19, ADHS partnered with the Equality Health and HeroZona foundations at a pop-up clinic that vaccinated 650 children and adults in the Roosevelt School District serving south Phoenix. ADHS provided Pfizer vaccine, personnel, and support for operational costs. The Equality Health Foundation, one of 13 providers under state contract to operate pop-up clinics, is partnering with the HeroZona Foundation and ADHS to offer another vaccination event this Saturday, May 22, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at South Mountain Community College, 7050 S. 24th St. in Phoenix, offering the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, Moderna, and Pfizer vaccines. To register for this event, please call 888.587.3647. "There continue to be barriers to vaccination, even with vaccine available in hundreds of places throughout the Phoenix and Tucson areas and around Arizona," Dr. Christ said. "By working with community-based partners on targeted outreach, promoting the benefits of vaccination, and continuing to share that COVID-19 vaccinations are safe, effective, and free, we can continue moving Arizona toward keeping COVID-19 in check." For more information COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination, please visit azdhs.gov/covid19vaccines. # # # | 
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