This week, the Indiana Minority Health Coalition and local partners are holding a vaccination clinic geared at increasing vaccinations in Black and Latino communities in the county.
The clinic has also attracted out of towners and residents just looking to get vaccinated as soon as they can.
According to organizers the clinic hopes to vaccinate about 400 people per day over Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Joel Harris and his wife drove up from Indianapolis to get the vaccine. They said they wouldn’t have been able to receive the vaccine until April if not for the clinic.
“We’re really doing this for other people that we come into contact with. It’ll be good for their comfort that we have this.”
Juliette Nguyen is a Lafayette resident who said she was scheduled to receive a vaccine on April 22nd.
“More people need to get it before it goes back to the new normal. But I was definitely excited to get it,” she said. “I feel more protected.”
Tracy Fuller is the executive director of the Hanna Community Center, which helped organize the clinic. She said the clinic can’t limit participation based on race or a person’s location.
“It’s a state thing, anyone can essentially get registered,” she said. “We’re trying to promote it as much as we can to the minority groups, say here’s an opportunity, go get registered.”
A spokesperson for the state health department said in a statement that vaccinations for African American and Latino Hoosiers remain disproportionately low, which is why they continue to work with community partners to increase access to the vaccine.
