Hundreds Receive Covid Vaccines during Community Event
- Category: LVMC Updates
- Posted On:
- Written By: Nora Wallace
During a collaborative community vaccine and backpack giveaway event, 245 people received COVID-19 vaccines, including 120 children.
With funding provided by Together Toward Health, the collaborative effort on Aug. 6 included involvement by Lompoc Valley Medical Center, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization (LVCHO) and Healthy Lompoc Coalition, Santa Barbara County Promotores Network, Route 1 Farmers Market, Santa Maria- Lompoc NAACP and the Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD). Together Toward Health is a program of the Public Health Institute, through funding from a group of philanthropic organizations.
The event included a backpack giveaway for schoolchildren, while supplies lasted. In all, about 700 people attended the event, with approximately 450 backpacks distributed. Further funding and donations were provided by Lompoc Foursquare Church, the American Red Cross, Walmart, Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, and Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley.
“The health of local families is paramount to the mission of the LVCHO and Healthy Lompoc,” said Emily Casarez, who led the event planning and LVCHO’s Community Health Director. “We were pleased to see families making the choice to get vaccinated together and start off the school year in a healthy way.”
The event would not have been possible without the cooperation of all those involved, she added.
“Collaboration is embedded in the LVCHO’s foundation and this is a great example of how community agencies can work together to bring such a successful event to Lompoc. We couldn’t do this without our partners.”
The Vaccinate Lompoc event comes at a critical time when COVID-19 infections are increasing locally. For those still needing vaccinations, LVMC hosts a vaccine clinic every Friday. Appointments are available at www.myturn.ca.gov, and walk-ins are accommodated. LVMC is the only hospital in Santa Barbara County continuing to host public vaccination clinics
