BOSTON (WHDH) - As part of an effort to bring vaccines to communities hardest hit by COVID-19, a new vaccination site opened in Mattapan on Thursday.
Eligible residents are now able to get vaccinated at the Morning Star Baptist Church on Blue Hill Avenue.
First responder Jacquelyn Manzanillo and her 72-year-old aunt Brenda Byrd both lost a loved one to COVID-19 and said they were determined to get vaccinated knowing Black and Brown communities have been hardest hit by the coronavirus.
“She got it and was gone in five days. So it was catastrophic to our family,” Manzanillo said.
“I would tell anyone they should get this, especially with our color. We’ve been having a lot of problems with it,” Byrd added.
The clinic, which is by appointment only, is being run in partnership with the church, Mattapan Community Health Center and Boston Medical Center.
“One of the things that’s going to allow more Black and Brown people to take this vaccine is candor, transparency, openness, truth,” Bishop John M. Borders, III said.
They are breaking down the barriers that have prevented minority communities from showing up by taking appointments in different languages and having interpreters, situating the clinic along a bus line in the heart of Mattapan and placing it in a spot where people feel comfortable — where they can see people they know also getting the shot.
“This is key to expanding vaccinations: trust! Trust in your medical provider, trust in the clergy, trust in those individuals who are administering the vaccinations,” said Guale Valdez, president and CEO of the Mattapan Community Health Center.
The hope is that with this access and convenience there will be no excuse for people not to get vaccinated.
“I was baptized here,” Manzanillo said. “So, what other way to give me a new lease on life than to get my COVID vaccination here as well.”
In the days to come, organizers said they plan to knock on doors and make announcements at church to try and generate more interest. They said they are happy to give rides to anyone who may need them.
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