Community Partners Announce First Vaccination Site for Underserved Youth

PHOENIX, May 13, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Equality Health Foundation, the HeroZona Foundation and other community partners are excited to announce the launch of the first vaccine site in Arizona for underserved youth ages 12 to 15 at the C.O. Greenfield Elementary School (7009 S. 10th Street) in Phoenix on May 13 from 3 to 6 p.m.

During the event, children, teenagers and adults in underserved communities, disproportionately affected by COVID-19 will have free access to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which will be administered by Walgreens healthcare providers. Event attendees will also be offered free coronavirus nasal swab testing administered by Sonora Quest Laboratories, and food boxes for families in need provided by Grand Canyon University and CityServe. The second dose of the vaccine will be administered at the same location on June 3.

"We are excited by the Food and Drug Administration's announcement that children 12 and over can now be immunized against the coronavirus," said Alan "AP" Powell, Chairman of AP & Associates – Strategic Alliances, U.S. Army Desert-Storm Veteran, and founder of HeroZona. "We've operated several successful vaccination events and can now give parents and gaurdians in at-risk communities the chance to protect their kids as well."

"Families in our school district have had an especially difficult time living through the pandemic," said Roosevelt School District Governing Board President Lawrence Robinson. "By giving parents a way to keep their children safe from COVID-19, we are offering them a fighting chance at surviving the virus and returning back to some semblance of normalcy. This wouldn't be possible without Equality Health Foundation, HeroZona and the other partners committed to keeping our people safe. We're excited to continue this great collaboration."

"Neighborhoods with high Latino and minority populations have had slower vaccination rates as compared to other parts of Arizona," said United States Representative for Arizona's 7th District Ruben Gallego. "Initiatives like this one aim to combat that and ensure that all families, no matter what neighborhood they reside in, receive fair access to this life-saving immunization."

"In order to keep our families safe we have to make sure everyone gets vaccinated, including our kids," said Vice Mayor Carlos Garcia, District 8, City of Phoenix. "This event will ensure that District 8, which has been greatly impacted by Covid-19, has access to the vaccine for the younger generations. We are grateful for the work of Herozona and Equality Health in bringing this to South Phoenix."

The May 13 event is the sixth event held by the OneCommunity Initiative, which focuses on reaching diverse, underserved communities, and aims to track demographic data to identify disparity gaps and ensure that the vaccines are distributed fairly and equitably. The first event was held at Cortez Park on March 13 followed by an event at Isaac Middle School on April 3. The third event was held on April 10 at South Mountain Community College, which is now a permanent COVID-19 vaccination site. The fourth event was held at the Phoenix Sunnyslope Senior Center on April 17, and the fifth at Isaac Middle School again on May 1. Information about additional events will be made available as soon as possible.

There are 600 vaccine appointments available for those 12 and older, including frontline and essential workers. For more information and to register, those interested can call the bilingual service line at 888-587-3647 or register for this location at podvaccine.azdhs.gov/.

The community event is supported in part by Sonora Quest Laboratories, Walgreens, Arizona State University, City of Phoenix, Phoenix Fire Department, Phoenix Police Department, Travis L. Williams Post 65, APS, Family Tree Healthcare Clinic, Arizona Conference & Maricopa County Branch, Forty Eight Foundation, National Pan-Hellenic Council Phoenix Metropolitan Area, Black Philanthropy Initiative, Black Chamber of Arizona, Greater Phoenix Urban League, Arizona Latin-American Medical Association, Maricopa County Public Health, African American Christian College Coalition, Adelante Healthcare, Insurus Medicare Solutions, Diana Gregory Outreach Services Foundation, 100 Black Men of Phoenix, National Coalition of 100 Black Women Phoenix Metropolitan Chapter, Arizona Department of Health Services, Roosevelt Elementary School District and many more public and private stakeholders.

HeroZona Foundation has launched various community programs including Phoenix Tools 4 School, The Bridge Forum, Holiday Bike Giveaways, MLK Celebrating the Dream, Play It Forward: Engaging Our Youth Through the Arts, Veterans Reach to Teach and the HeroZona Forgotten Heroes Breakfast.

For more information about the foundation's community program partnerships visit herozona.org or follow on Facebook.com/HeroZonaOrg.

About the HeroZona Foundation
The HeroZona Foundation is a non-profit organization that empowers Heroes in the community through entrepreneurship, employment, and education. The group works with veterans, first responders and those that bring social good to future generations and under-served communities. The foundation's mission is to create opportunities for the brave men and women who serve their country, and community, every day. For more information, please visit HeroZona.org.

About the Equality Health Foundation
The Equality Health Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to leveling the healthcare playing field in culturally diverse and underserved communities. The Foundation works to expand access to care, accelerate health education, and eliminate healthcare inequalities so that everyone in the community has an opportunity to lead healthier and longer lives. For more information, visit https://www.equalityhealthfoundation.org.

Media Contact

Ivana Morales, Evolve PR and Marketing, +1 9738644523, [email protected]

SOURCE HeroZona