Nick Perkins Photo
Refugees receive vaccines.
On Saturday, in a small park to the side of the Yale Physicians Building, bubbles and pizza welcomed local refugee families as part of a Covid-19 vaccination pop-up.
The small-scale vaccination clinic was set up by Yale Community Healthcare and Elena’s Light, an organization that seeks to help refugee women and children. Thirty-six people received vaccines at the clinic.
This was the second time the clinic had been done in that location; the first was on May 15. The clinic was specifically targeted at refugee families. After getting their vaccine families were encouraged to socialize, get food, and play games.
Leslie Sude.
Leslie Sude, a doctor at the Yale School of Medicine, helped to organize the event. She called the clinic “a novel, co-cultural Covid-vaccine intervention.” The novelty came from how one could both get their vaccine in a “friendly environment” and also enjoy a community event with friends and food.
She said that while the mass vaccination centers may have helped motivate some people, “these smaller venues help those with more hesitancy and less familiarity with the American healthcare system” get vaccinated.
One person who came to get vaccinated, Shafiqa Chatak, said that the clinic’s location and environment made it much easier for her to get the vaccine. She said she was grateful for the ease of opportunity to get vaccinated, as she said she was concerned about getting Covid.
Fereshteh Ganjavi.
The founder of Elena’s Light, Fereshteh Ganjavi (pictured), said the clinic was particularly aimed at children and women who have not had vaccine access that men in the community have had at workplaces.
Thank you to Yale Community Healthcare and Elena's Light and Leslie Sude for providing a vaccine clinic for refugees. The more people we vaccinate, the more we defeat this virus and prevent it from spreading.