NJ Sets Up Community-Based Vaccination Sites In Underserved Towns

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey has launched a community-based vaccination partnership to help underserved communities get access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Through the partnership 15,000 residents are expected to be vaccinated by the end of March at sites in Somerset, Trenton, Elizabeth, Vineland, and Paterson. The first site to open Monday was at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset.

"We are ready for this. We've had educational webinars for our members for the past month," said Reverend Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. with First Baptist Church. "Overwhelmingly, African American and Hispanic members of our church and community are ready to take this vaccine. I have a woman 105 years old registered for the vaccine.”

Soaries stressed that all available appointments at his church are already filled.

All of these community-based sites are only available for members of the immediate community only.

Vaccination appointments will be required and will be handled directly through partnering houses of worship, community organizations, and local community leaders. Each site will coordinate with a health partner and vaccine will be dispensed from the State’s allocation.

A vaccination support team from the Department of Defense will provide the clinical staffing at the sites and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide non-medical support. Each site will be able to vaccinate about 1,500 people per week and vaccinations at each location will take place over a two-week period, followed by a return to administer second doses.

The community-based vaccination sites are supported through a partnership by the New Jersey Department of Health, New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and U.S. Department of Defense, in addition to local faith leaders, nonprofit organizations, local officials, and health departments.

"Throughout this pandemic, the Health Department's work on the COVID-19 response and our vaccination planning has been done through an equity lens," said New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. "Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by this virus, and with our interfaith community partners, we are working to increase access and availability of the vaccine to vulnerable communities."

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