Mobile clinics at minority churches exceed expectations

TYLER — Four people came together earlier this month with an idea of vaccinating the minority communities in Smith County against COVID-19. After only a couple of weeks of planning, they were able to vaccinate nearly 1,500 people during four days of pop-up vaccine clinics held at local churches. “We wanted to bring the vaccines to the people in our African American and Hispanic communities,” Smith County Precinct 4 Commissioner JoAnn Hampton said in a news release. “By bringing these vaccine clinics to their churches, we thought they would be more comfortable in coming to get a vaccine.”

Commissioner Hampton, along with Tyler Hispanic Business Alliance President/CEO Nancy Rangel, Tyler Metro Chamber Board Chairman Derrick Choice, and Lisa Williams, with Black Nurses Rock Tyler, sent out invitations to local churches for their congregations to sign up for the vaccine clinics. They were held March 16-19, at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church and St. Louis Baptist Church in Tyler, and New Zion Baptist Church in Winona. Go here to read more.