Helping the whole person: UCC hosts pop-up vaccine events to curb the spread of COVID

In the fight against COVID 19, United Community Corporation (UCC) is using every tool in its arsenal to get local residents vaccinated. Last weekend, UCC hosted the Community Wellness Fair at Westside Park, in partnership with Essex County, Partners in Health and Amerigroup RealSolutions. More than 200 residents were served with food, a health screening and physical, emotional, social and intellectual wellness information and 22 received their first dose of the Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine.

“We all know that the city of Newark was hit so tremendously with COVID cases in the first half of the pandemic. Our city even went into a 10-day mandatory lock-down because we remained a hot spot for COVID cases throughout the state,” said Jacqueline Henry, YouthBuild Director of UCC. 

Essex County Department of Health recently reported there were 39,952 active COVID cases in Newark. And with many of UCC’s programs located in the South Ward of Newark, these pop-up events offer residents local access to the vaccine to - hopefully - eliminate any barriers keeping willing residents from getting vaccinated.

Many residents cited long lines and longer wait times as reasons they’ve foregone getting vaccinated, so by hosting pop-up vaccine events with local healthcare agencies, Henry hoped these clinics would encourage more residents to take advantage of the vaccine. 

Starting earlier this spring, UCC has been an outreach resource for community partners looking to share information on how to get vaccinated. In its first pop-up vaccination event at Westside Park with the Essex County Department of Health, UCC served 512 clients, administering Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. And throughout the summer, UCC volunteers have been knocking doors and registering residents in the South, West and East Wards to get vaccinated. 

“We’re all fighting for that common goal of trying to get people vaccinated to make this virus and this crazy time end,” said Rich Greco, UCC Director of Community Engagement. “We have the site, and if people are willing to come to our site and administer vaccines, we’re more than happy to help facilitate that and do whatever we can to help.” 

UCC is a member of the Newark Youth Workforce Collaborative, a collective approach to creating a school-to-workforce pipeline. And as the backbone of the Collaborative, Newark Opportunity Youth Network (NOYN) works to support its partner programs with data, strategy and fundraising.

“Community-based organizations like UCC are a vital tool in Newark’s fight against COVID. Whether it’s through their YouthBuild program or through one of the many other services they offer, UCC is there to meet the needs of the community. NOYN is proud to support their work and mission in any way we can,” said Robert Clark, Chief Executive Officer of NOYN. 

Since May, UCC has partnered with Essex County, Amerigroup, Rite Aid, Partners in Health, United Way, and Aetna to operate pop-up events at Westside Park, Hope Village, the Fulton Street Emergency Shelter and its mobile wellness unit to provide willing residents access to the vaccine. 

For residents that are hesitant to get vaccinated, UCC’s approach has focused on starting an open dialogue to help them see a different perspective. By leading with compassion, Greco said he starts by understanding where residents are coming from.

“You can’t be dismissive because once you’re dismissive, that conversation ends. All we can do is just keep trying to reassure people, keep trying to give people those materials,” he said. “You just have to respect people’s opinions and provide them with the information.”

“At the end of the day, UCC is all about helping the whole person, that’s why we do wrap-around services so we can help as many people as we can. If our community needs us, whether it’s a pandemic or Hurricane Ida, we’re here to serve the community,” Greco said.