FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2021
Contact:
For Public Health Management Corporation
Emily Charles, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Art-Reach, Chinatown Disability Advocacy Project, PHMC, Rite Aid and The Franklin Institute Host Community Vaccine Clinic for Individuals with Disabilities
Clinic will be held on Monday, May 10 at The Franklin Institute
PHILADELPHIA – Art-Reach, Chinatown Disability Advocacy Project, Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) and Rite Aid, with special guest Representative Dwight Evans, will host a one-day vaccine clinic for individuals with disabilities on Monday, May 10 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at The Franklin Institute. The clinic is also open to guests 18 and over and those who reside or work in Philadelphia. Appointments are required and guests will receive the Moderna vaccine provided by Rite Aid.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to work with Congressman Evans to support health equity by expanding access to the COVID-19 vaccine to reach those with disabilities,” said Jocelyn Konrad, executive vice president and chief pharmacy officer, Rite Aid. “These events represent an important opportunity to go directly into the communities we serve and helps us reach COVID-19 vaccine recipients where they are most comfortable getting vaccinated.”
“Art-Reach loves a great partnership,” shared John Orr, Executive Director at Art-Reach, adding “The Franklin Institute immediately jumped to mind for this--they have been talking about science innovation for almost 200 years. Now it’s happening--in their Planetarium--and it’s saving lives.”
The vaccination site is designed to be accessible to meet the needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, a population that has been underrepresented in vaccination efforts but makes up a significant demographic in Philadelphia. According to a 2018 study by The Pew Charitable Trust, about 22% of Philadelphia’s poor were disabled and nearly 16% of all Philadelphians reported a hearing, vision, cognitive or ambulatory disability.
“Studies have shown that individuals with disabilities are more at-risk for COVID-19 and simultaneously face more obstacles to receive the vaccine,” said Sara Molina Robinson, Chief Educational Services Officer at Public Health Management Corporation. “By forming this collaborative community partnership, we hope to improve health equity and reduce barriers to care so individuals with disabilities have safe, convenient and easy access to the COVID-19 vaccine to help reduce the spread of the virus in Philadelphia.”
Professor Roger Ideishi, co-founder of Chinatown Disability Advocacy Project, explained, “Creating accessibility isn’t creating special accommodations. Accessibility is a built-in process from beginning to end that values, invites, and engages every person in society. With this in mind, accessible features include well-paced appointments, short wait times, a welcoming and calm environment, volunteers trained in disability, cultural, and linguistic diversity, and easy wayfinding signs and maps. These accessible features support people with and without disabilities.”
To register, please call PHMC at 267-395-3800 or visit https://bit.ly/VaxUnderTheStars.
The Franklin Institute is located at 222 N 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Guests are asked to arrive at the Winter Street entrance. All guests will also be given a free museum ticket for a future visit to The Franklin Institute.
Chinatown Disability Advocacy Project
Chinatown Disability Advocacy Project, founded in 2015, is a grassroots network of self-advocates, families, and community members promoting disability, cultural, and linguistic inclusion in education, healthcare, and community systems. This grassroots network provides support, education, and advocacy ensuring people with disabilities and their families live a productive and meaningful life.
About PHMC
Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) is a nonprofit public health institute that builds healthier communities through partnerships with government, foundations, businesses, and community-based organizations. It fulfills its mission to improve the health of the community by providing outreach, health promotion, education, research, planning, technical assistance, and direct services.
PHMC has served the Greater Philadelphia region since 1972 as a facilitator, developer, intermediary, manager, advocate and innovator in the field of public health. With more than 3,500 employees, hundreds of programs and a network of subsidiary organizations, PHMC serves 350,000 clients annually and is one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation.
Art-Reach
Art-Reach believes disability is a product of design rather than diagnosis and that good design creates an accessible world. Art-Reach envisions a world where people with disabilities and low-income communities have equitable access to the arts. They work with the cultural community to ensure that opportunity exists for all people, and in doing so they lift Philadelphia up as a national model for cultural accessibility. In its last full program year over 212,000 people experienced the arts in an accessible way through an Art-Reach program.
Rite Aid
Rite Aid Corporation is on the front lines of delivering healthcare services and retail products to Americans 365 days a year. Our pharmacists are uniquely positioned to engage with customers and improve their health outcomes. We provide an array of whole being health products and services for the entire family through over 2,500 retail pharmacy locations across 17 states. Through Elixir, we provide pharmacy benefits and services to millions of members nationwide. For more information, www.riteaid.com.
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