Three Mid-Michigan organizations part of vaccine equity pilot program

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Mid-Michigan is getting extra doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

This is to help remove barriers for the most vulnerable in the community.

The Cristo Rey Community Center’s clinic is just one of 22 organizations approved for a state pilot program to get vulnerable communities the COVID-19 vaccine.

These are typically people who are minorities or low-income and don’t have internet access.

Cristo Rey is going to convert its family health center to a vaccine clinic once a week. The idea is to vaccinate 100 people a day.

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg. The real challenges are the persons we work with have COVID mortality,” said Joseph Garcia, Cristo Rey Community Center executive director.

To make sure the program is vaccinating those who need it, Cristo Rey is working with its community partners.

“We’re going to flip the process on itself and we’re going to be reaching out to these individuals we know are struggling to get access,” said Garcia.

“There’s tremendous need in the community to have access to the vaccine,” said Dr. Courtland Keteyian, Henry Ford Allegiance Health Vice President of Population Health.

The Henry Ford Health System is getting 2,500 doses as part of this program.

Many of them will be given out at the MLK Community Center in Jackson.

“That’s the best thing we can be doing right now is getting people vaccinated. But we didn’t have enough. We needed more to get to everybody who needs it,” said Dr. Keteyian.

The Ingham County Health Department was also awarded doses as part of the pilot program.

It plans to hold pop-up vaccination clinics at churches and apartment complexes in high-risk neighborhoods.

The program is primarily for people 60 and older living in communities with high COVID-19 death rates.

Providers could include people 50 and older with disabilities or pre-existing conditions if supply allows.

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