OCALA, Fla. – This weekend, more than half a dozen places of worship around Florida will host vaccine events, including several in the Orlando area.
The state is identifying new vaccine sites at places of worship through several partnerships in order to reach underserved communities.
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Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said Florida has partnered with more than 200 churches where nearly 60,000 people have been vaccinated. The state has been working with every member of Florida’s Black Caucus to find new locations.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is partnering with Health Hero, an organization that assesses local health care needs, to vaccinate seniors in underserved communities.
“They’re gonna look at the situation. If they want to use existing sites, they can get some of the doses to existing sites. If they want to do a pop-up site at a church or in a senior community or in a school, they can do that as well,” DeSantis said of Health Hero. “It’s really what’s the most effective to get the shots in arms.”
DeSantis credited Moskowitz’s work with the Black Caucus in the Florida House and Senate to reaching more communities with the vaccine.
“We’ve done dozens and dozens and dozens of vaccine sites at churches, predominantly African American churches, since the beginning of January. Jared Moskowitz, the director of emergency management has worked with every single member of the Legislative Black Caucus in both the House and the Senate, and in many instances, has been able to bring a site in their districts at their direction for whichever church community,” DeSantis said.
The Biden Administration even asked Moskowitz to brief other states on how Florida is working with the faith community to vaccinate seniors, according to the governor.
This weekend, there are seven churches, according to the Florida Department of Health, hosting vaccine events and already four days next week with vaccine locations at churches.
Below are the dates and locations for the next week. As more sites are announced, you can find them here.
All sites open at 9 a.m. and run until they reach capacity for the day.
Saturday, March 6
- Central Baptist Church | 951 S. Ferdon Blvd. Crestview, FL 32536
- Mt. Bethel Missionary Baptist Church | 1620 Helena Street Jacksonville, FL 32208
- Bethel Community Baptist Church | 2901 54th Ave S. St. Petersburg, FL 33712
- St. Philip Phan Van Minh Vietnamese Catholic Church | 15 W Par Street Orlando, FL 32804
Sunday, March 7
- Lynn Haven Senior Center | 905 Pennsylvania Ave. Lynn Haven, FL 32444
- Immanuel Baptist Church | 2351 Mahan Dr. Tallahassee, FL 32308
- Shiloh Baptist Church Youth Life Center | 580 W Jackson Street Orlando, FL 32805
Monday, March 8
- North Jacksonville Baptist Church | 8531 N Main Street Jacksonville, FL 32218
Thursday, March 11
- Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church | 2348 Collier Parkway Land O’ Lakes, FL 34639
Friday, March 12
- St. John The Apostle Catholic Church | 475 E 4th StreetHialeah, FL 33010
Saturday, March 13
- Everlasting Word Church | 2132 US-90 West DeFuniak Springs, FL 32433
- River of Life Fellowship | 3950 Juanita Ave. Fort Pierce, FL 34946
- Majestic Life Church | 821 S Kirkman Rd. Orlando, FL 32811
- Manifest Church | 2275 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. West Palm Beach, FL 33409
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