Tidewell Hospice, community groups to provide COVID vaccine to underserved populations
Vaccine Clinic Update — April 13
Tidewell Hospice and its community partners are adhering to FDC, CDC and State of Florida guidance and pausing use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for the upcoming community clinics. Tidewell has been in touch with the Florida Department of Health offices in Sarasota and Manatee counties and will replace its supply of Johnson & Johnson vaccine with Moderna vaccine.
While the clinics will go on as scheduled, with one exception, fewer people will receive the vaccine because Moderna is a two-shot vaccine. Now the second clinics at the Bethlehem Baptist Church, St. Jude Catholic Church and Dream Center locations will deliver second shots to those who attend the first clinic. There also will need to be a second clinic scheduled at The Salvation Army in Bradenton. The date and time for that clinic will be announced soon.
The only clinic that will not take place is the May 8 clinic at Light of the World International Church. Participants in that clinic received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Saturday, April 10, and will not need to return for a second clinic.
Here is the updated clinic schedule:
4-8 p.m. April 14 | Bethlehem Baptist Church | 1680 18th St., Sarasota
9 a.m-1 p.m. April 17 | St. Jude Catholic Church | 3930 17th St., Sarasota
2-6 p.m. April 22 | The Salvation Army | 1204 14th St. W., Bradenton
4-8 p.m. April 29 | Dream Center (Bayside Church) | 1816 Ninth St. W., Bradenton
4-8 p.m. May 12 | Bethlehem Baptist Church | 1680 18th St., Sarasota
9 a.m-1 p.m. May 15 | St. Jude Catholic Church | 3930 17th St., Sarasota
4-8 p.m. May 27 | Dream Center (Bayside Church) | 1816 Ninth St. W., Bradenton
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Tidewell Hospice and several grassroots community organizations are joining forces to provide COVID-19 vaccine to high-risk and underserved populations in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
The community partners have scheduled nine vaccine clinics in predominantly African-American and Latinx neighborhoods as well as a homeless outreach in Sarasota and Manatee. About 200 people, registered by appointment only through the community organizations, will receive a one-time Johnson & Johnson vaccine at each of the clinics.
Tidewell Hospice clinicians and volunteer nurses will administer the vaccine. Staff and volunteers from Tidewell and the community organizations will provide logistical support at the sites. The Sarasota Chapter of the NAACP, UnidosNow, The Salvation Army and Bayside Community Church are hosting clinics and registering participants. Other coalition members include Light of the World International Church, Bethlehem Baptist Church, St. Jude Catholic Church, Bethel CME Church, Greater Hurst Chapel AME Church, Trinity Christian Fellowship Church, Suncoast Women of Action, Gulf Coast Medical Society, Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness and Multicultural Health Institute.
Following is the schedule of vaccine events:
9 a.m-1 p.m. April 10 | Light of the World Int’l Church | 3809 Chapel Drive, Sarasota
4-8 p.m. April 14 | Bethlehem Baptist Church | 1680 18th St., Sarasota
9 a.m-1 p.m. April 17 | St. Jude Catholic Church | 3930 17th St., Sarasota
2-6 p.m. April 22 | The Salvation Army | 1204 14th St. W., Bradenton
4-8 p.m. April 29 | Dream Center (Bayside Church) | 1816 Ninth St. W., Bradenton
9 a.m.-1 p.m. May 8 | Light of the World Int’l Church | 3809 Chapel Drive, Sarasota
4-8 p.m. May 12 | Bethlehem Baptist Church | 1680 18th St., Sarasota
9 a.m-1 p.m. May 15 | St. Jude Catholic Church | 3930 17th St., Sarasota
4-8 p.m. May 27 | Dream Center (Bayside Church) | 1816 Ninth St. W., Bradenton
The Sarasota Chapter of the NAACP will register participants for the April 10, April 14, May 8 and May 12 events. UnidosNow will register participants for the April 17 and May 15 events. The Salvation Army will host the April 22 event, and Bayside Church will host the April 29 and May 27 events.
The current pandemic of COVID-19 has underscored the already disparate treatment and care of vulnerable multicultural populations across the nation. The same is true in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Numerous well-known social determinants of health drive the multicultural disparities that exist in healthcare and socioeconomic outcomes for the ethnic and cultural minority communities in the United States.
Trevor Harvey, the president of the Sarasota Chapter of the NAACP, said his organization’s goal is to bring a coalition of churches and other grassroots organizations together to create equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination within black and brown communities.
“Oftentimes there are a number of underlying challenges that communities of color are presented with, and one way to have an equitable process is to bring the resources into the community,” Harvey said. “This partnership with Tidewell is a result of our continued advocacy work to help achieve the goal and close the gap.”
Said UnidosNow Executive Director Luz Corcuera, “In 2020 UnidosNow received an unexpected and treasured gift in the form of a partnership with Tidewell. We worked providing education, outreach and linkage to referrals through The Multicultural Action Teams to the neighborhoods deeply affected by COVID-19. We are glad to continue our partnership to bring the vaccines to members of the Latinx community that face transportation, language, and access barriers.”
In response to the challenges presented to our communities by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tidewell Hospice and the newly created Tidewell Hospice Foundation have committed experience, insight and initiative to facilitating stronger ties among our region’s health and social service providers, while helping people navigate the range of care options those partnerships would create and sustain.
“Tidewell Hospice, as a member of the Empath-Stratum integrated network of care, is honored and privileged to be partnering with the community to help increase access to COVID-19 vaccines,” said Jonathan Fleece, President of Empath-Stratum and CEO of Tidewell Hospice. “Tidewell has proudly served the diverse needs of this region for over four decades, and there is no greater way to contribute than helping to end this pandemic.”
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About Tidewell Foundation, Inc.
Tidewell Hospice is an independent, not-for-profit health provider offering a home-centered, comprehensive system of end of life and palliative care for people living with advanced illness and their families. Annually, Tidewell provides care for nearly 10,000 patients throughout its four-county service area of Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. Hospice houses and offices are located in Arcadia, Bradenton, Englewood, Lakewood Ranch, Palmetto, Port Charlotte, Sarasota and Venice. As the region’s only not-for-profit hospice, Tidewell relies on donor contributions to provide a number of its acclaimed patient and community services. Tidewell is accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP) with deemed status, signifying excellent care and meeting Medicare’s conditions of participation.
