Former state senate candidate and public bank advocate Jackie Fielder recently launched a political action committee, Daybreak PAC, and has shifted some campaign organizing infrastructure toward a vaccine access effort. Some phone bank volunteers now make calls to seniors living in neighborhoods like the Bayview, to ask if they would like to get vaccinated and if they face any barriers to doing so.
Category: Vaccine Distribution
The policies and processes for COVID-19 vaccine distribution in San Francisco are changing quickly as officials move to quickly inoculate as many people as possible. The city is building mass distribution sites and mobile distribution units, but success depends on key factors beyond its control — coordinating with manufacturers and the federal government. “Civic” is tracking these efforts.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Aging, Coronavirus, Social Services, Vaccine Distribution
Nonprofit Brings COVID-19 Vaccines to Seniors
Self-Help for the Elderly, has stepped in not just with advocacy for improved access to vaccines, but by bringing doctors who can administer vaccines to the seniors who need them at community centers they already visit. President and CEO Anni Chung joined “Civic” to share how the organization has been vaccinating the seniors it serves.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Economy & Business, Essential Workers, Government & Politics, Labor, Vaccine Distribution
Vaccinations and Hazard Pay Remain Concerns of Grocery Store Union
Grocery store workers are the latest to be eligible for vaccination. As part of our “Essential Worker” series we spoke with Jim Araby, director of strategic campaigns for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5 about how they are trying to get their 28,000 members vaccinated and why they are fighting for hazard pay during the remaining days of the pandemic.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, Community, Coronavirus, Health, Vaccine Distribution
Community Clinics Cross Language, Digital Divides to Distribute Vaccine
North East Medical Services has multiple clinics in San Francisco and around the Bay Area, serving some 70,000 patients at 10 clinics in the region, many of whom are low-income Chinese speakers. Kenneth Tai, chief health officer, and Jessica Ho, government affairs and community liaison for North East Medical Services, talked with “Civic” about their vaccine distribution strategy.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, Community, Coronavirus, Vaccine Distribution
Volunteers Built, Run Statewide Vaccine Lookup System
In response to the disjointed publication of information from various clinics, providers and governments, a group of volunteers with some technical skills collaborated to build a statewide resource for finding vaccine appointments, now known as VaccinateCA.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, City Hall, Coronavirus, Essential Workers, Social Services, Vaccine Distribution
Though Eligible for Vaccine, Some Homelessness Response Workers Turned Away
Mary Kate Bacalao, director of external affairs and policy at Compass Family Services and co-chair of the Homeless Emergency Service Providers Association, spoke with “Civic” about how her staff — and other workers in the sector — have experienced the process of figuring out their eligibility for a vaccine and actually getting one.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Health, Vaccine Distribution
SF Nursing Home Reaches Almost Total Coronavirus Vaccination
The vast majority of staff and residents at the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living, one of the largest nursing homes in the region, have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. 94% of staff and 97% of residents have received the vaccine. The facility’s director of nursing and clinical operations, Peggy Cmiel, told “Civic” about how that was done.
Posted inCoronavirus, Health, Vaccine Distribution
Despite Vaccine Shortage, City to Expand Eligibility
Teachers, child care workers, police, firefighters and food service and agricultural workers will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations in San Francisco beginning Feb. 26. Mayor London Breed said Tuesday the city was ready to move past the current plan that limits vaccinations to health care workers and those over 65 years of age.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Community, Coronavirus, Health, Vaccine Distribution
Mission Vaccination Site Opens to Serve ‘Those Closest to the Pain’
Neighborhood vaccination sites are part of an effort to bring resources to those who have been most affected by the pandemic. The Mission District, and the city’s Latino population, have seen disproportionate infection rates and deaths from the virus. Latino Task Force Health Committee Chair Jon Jacobo spoke with “Civic” about the launch.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Health, Homelessness, Vaccine Distribution
SF Nonprofit Reports Mixed Messages About Frontline Worker Vaccine Eligibility
Staff members at the nonprofit service provider Hospitality House have been on the job, in facilities like drop-in centers and working with the public in person, throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Executive Director Joe Wilson told “Civic” he encountered mixed and changing messages when he and his staff tried to determine which of them should get vaccinated, when and how.