ASHEVILLE — St. Eugene Parish has joined a growing number of churches in the Diocese of Charlotte hosting COVID-19 vaccination clinics – following the example of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and St. Joseph Vietnamese Church in Charlotte to Our Lady of the Highways Church in Thomasville, among others. Through these community outreach efforts, thousands of people have received the vaccine as well as information about protecting themselves and others during the pandemic.
St. Eugene Parish partnered with the Leicester Community Health Center and the Western Carolina Medical Society to host a vaccination clinic April 8.
In western North Carolina, as in many other parts of the diocese, the Hispanic community is disproportionately impacted by the medical and financial hardships caused by the pandemic. Many in this community have minimal or no health insurance and little access to healthcare providers in the area.
Moreover, lack of information, language barriers and vaccine hesitancy have all contributed to the insufficient number of low-income Hispanics who have currently received the COVID-19 vaccine in the region. So parishioners Sue Koester and Christy Montesdeoca worked with health care providers to reach out to low-income and vulnerable populations in the Hispanic community.
The parish’s social hall was converted into a check-in location, waiting area, vaccination site and also the 15-minute observation area for the participants. Medical professionals and staff from the community health center, interpreters, medical professionals from the parish and approximately 10 other parishioners were on hand to facilitate the clinic.
Ninety-eight people, many of whom are parishioners, received their first dose of the Moderna vaccine with no complications.
St. Eugene Parish will repeat the vaccination clinic on May 8 for people to receive their second dose of the vaccine.
The interactions between the participants, interpreters and the trained medical staff provided an opportunity to explain the vaccine, satisfy any concerns and promote the COVID-19 vaccine in the local Hispanic community.
Father Pat Cahill, St. Eugene’s pastor, praised the event saying, “Easter is a season of new life and our vaccination efforts are a most appropriate way to celebrate.”
— Rick Lober, Special to the Catholic News Herald
Pictured: St. Eugene Parish partnered with the Leicester Community Health Center and the Western Carolina Medical Society to host a vaccination clinic April 8.
(Photo provided by Rick Lober)