THE NJ LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS, NEW JERSEY BLACK DOCTORS ASSOCIATION AND CLERGY SPONSOR COMMUNITY VACCINATION DAY

Helping in the fight against Covid-19, New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus (NJLBC), Clergy and NJ Black Doctors joined together on Sunday, April 18th at 12 noon to 4 p.m. to hold a Community Vaccination Day in Orange NJ.

“The NJLBC joined with this project to step up efforts and be sure that our community has access to vaccinations through partnerships with the physician community and state Department of Health,” said Shavonda Sumter, Legislative Black Caucus Chair. “It is imperative that any person interested in receiving a vaccine has access for a safe administration and, most importantly as we navigate through COVID19, we continue to push for testing and vaccines within our local communities. It is necessary to our healing as a community.”

Free Covid-19 testing, answers to questions, and on-site vaccination were offered on Sunday. The groups also offered a prayer circle for the event. The vaccination was directed by the Medical Office of Dr. Montrae Thomas.

Sponsors of the event included the New Jersey Black Women Physicians Association, New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus, New Jersey Medical Association, and the New Jersey Department of Health.

“Despite the efforts to date, we need to improve vaccination in communities of color. Many community members have reported difficulty with the traditional registration process. Some community members would prefer to receive vaccination information and the vaccination from trusted providers,” said Damali Campbell Oparaji, Assistant Professor Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Health. “This pandemic, if nothing else, has shown us that various stakeholders must collaborate to care for our community. One organization cannot do it
alone but working together we get to go farther and extend our reach into the community in unique ways not done before.”

During the event, over 200 individuals were vaccinated.