CHARLOTTE — Churches are places of hope and healing – and now that mission is being leveraged to connect under-served communities with access to COVID-19 vaccines to fight the pandemic.
Parishes in Charlotte, Greensboro and Thomasville are among those teaming up with local healthcare providers to host COVID-19 vaccination drives as vaccine supplies become available.
Among the first to host a vaccination clinic was Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte Feb. 11 and March 11, when more than 270 people turned out to receive their first and second doses of the vaccine.
“The first day we did it here was on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, Feb. 11, which in the Church is the International Day of the Sick,” said Our Lady of Guadalupe’s pastor, Vincentian Father Gregory Gay. “One of the ways we can pray for our sick and do everything we can to care for our sick is to get the vaccine.”
Father Gay was among those getting the COVID-19 vaccine at his parish-sponsored clinic, organized by the parish’s health ministry and Atrium Health.
Atrium’s community health project manager, Rita Dominguez, noted, “As part of our ‘Community Immunity for All’ collaborative, we partner with community organizations trusted in under-served communities to bring the resources, services and support. We want to eliminate barriers, such as transportation and internet access, required to make an appointment.”
All three priests at the diocese’s largest Latino-majority parish have emphasized the importance of receiving the vaccine, Father Gay said, recalling Pope Francis’ New Year’s Day message about creating a culture of care.
“We have also encouraged the people as the U.S. bishops said. We’re not obliging people, but as they said, it is an act of charity and solidarity to get vaccinated,” he said.
“That is why I wanted to get the vaccine. We come into contact with lots of people – I don’t want to infect anyone. One of the ways to prevent that was to get the vaccine myself.”
Witnessing people from the community coming in to get their vaccinations made Claudia Carcamo emotional. Carcamo, the parish’s safety and environment coordinator, said providing the opportunity to help the under-served Latino population near the church was “a relief.”
One elderly couple who came in for their shots needed assistance getting in and out of the church, she recalled. “It was emotional because you see that situation, they need help. I’m glad to know that the parish can provide this service. We are always trying to do the best, because God is teaching us how to be the best servers for the community.”
Also helping to connect their local Latino community with access to the vaccines was Our Lady of the Highways Church in Thomasville, which hosted a vaccination clinic March 6 in conjunction with Thomasville Pediatrics and the Davidson County Health Department. Nearly 600 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine were administered.
Father Gabriel Carvajal Salazar said parishioners were less fearful because they were able to learn about and receive the vaccine in the comfort and familiarity of their home church.
Besides offering familiarity and a trusted source of information, churches are often more accessible and located in under-served areas compared to hospitals, health clinics and doctors’ offices.
Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte, whose health ministry has already built a strong partnership with Atrium Health to provide monthly COVID-19 testing and information, partnered with neighboring C.N. Jenkins Presbyterian Church to host a vaccination clinic March 5. Atrium Health was able to administer 350 doses that day.
The churches’ locations on Statesville Avenue in Charlotte make them ideal sites for a vaccination outreach effort, organizers said.
Not only are they familiar and nearby, but they are smaller and less intimidating than large-scale vaccination sites – particularly for the elderly, people who do not drive or people who feel uncomfortable going to large venues.
“A lot of these folks in this neighborhood don’t drive to Bank of America Stadium or to the Charlotte Motor Speedway, so it’s good to have this very close to them,” said Ron Berry, health ministry leader at Our Lady of Consolation Parish.
Father Gabriel Carvajal Salazar joined those receiving a COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic hosted at Our Lady of the Highways Church in Thomasville March 6. Almost 600 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were administered during the clinic, sponsored by Thomasville Pediatrics and the Davidson County Health Department. (Joe Thornton | Catholic News Herald)“They do trust the church. They do trust the leadership,” added C.N. Jenkins Presbyterian’s pastor, Dr. Jerry Cannon. “And we have centers nearby where seniors reside, so we want to make sure that is our main target, for seniors 65 and above. (At our location) Atrium Health is able to take care of our seniors so they don’t have to wait three hours in a car.”
Berry said he hopes the effort to provide vaccines will help give parishioners the confidence to return to church soon.
OLC’s pastor, Father Basile Sede, agreed, noting, “The vaccination is one way we can all help to restore activities and engagement in a safe and healthy manner so that we can support the financial, emotional, physical and spiritual welfare of all individuals who have been and continue to be challenged by the ills of COVID-19.”
Long after the pandemic ends, Cannon said, he hopes churches’ partnership with local healthcare providers can continue, providing health clinics, medical care and information for people who live in under-served communities.
“When we see we have an opportunity to bridge the gap and provide that service, let’s not wait for the hospitals or the health department to take initiative,” he said.
“Let’s use the faith community and the houses of worship to say, ‘This is what we are going to do’ – and lead.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Pictured above: Vincentian Father Gregory Gay, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte, received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Feb. 11, the World Day of the Sick. His parish hosted vaccination clinics for more than 270 people Feb. 11 and March 11. (Photo provided by Atrium Health)
WANT A QUICK-READ SUMMARY ON THIS ISSUE? Read the U.S. bishops’ two-pager “Answers to Key Ethical Questions About COVID-19 Vaccines.”
COMPARE THE VACCINES: Find out which of the 8 COVID-19 vaccines that received federal funding or have been submitted to the FDA for emergency use approval have unethical sources – courtesy of the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the scientific research arm of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List.
Go to www.lozierinstitute.org.
GOT A QUESTION FOR AN ETHICIST? Check out the National Catholic Bioethics Center’s website for a free, confidential hotline and online form to get answers. The site has easy-to-find information on a wide range of life issues – from conception to natural death. Look them up at www.ncbcenter.org.