March 29, 2021

The City of Pawtucket Partners with American Red Cross, Asthenis Pharmacy, and YMCA to Bring Vaccines to the Community

PAWTUCKET- The City of Pawtucket has partnered with The American Red Cross, Asthenis Pharmacy, and the Pawtucket YMCA to bring COVID-19 vaccination clinics to the city every Sunday through the Rhode Island Department of Health’s High Density Community (HDC) allocations.

Clinics are typically being held on Sunday afternoons at the Pawtucket YMCA and have vaccinated over 1500 residents since March 14^th through this initiative.

“We are happy to work with such great partners like the Red Cross and Dr. Berbrick, Asthenis Pharmacy and the Pawtucket YMCA and thank them for their dedication to the community,” said Mayor Donald R. Grebien. “We are trying to get as many Pawtucket residents vaccinated as possible in order to ensure that our community is safe and initiatives like this one can help us reach our goals by assisting those who are most in need.”

“To defeat this pandemic, we must reach all people, from all backgrounds and communities with the lifesaving vaccine,” said Dr. Walter Berbrick, a Community Volunteer Leader with the American Red Cross Rhode Island. 

“One of the biggest issues with getting Rhode Islanders vaccinated has been access—especially in our underserved and disadvantaged communities,” continued Berbrick. “As more vaccines become available, we’re working hard to help staff clinics and educate people, especially in communities of color who have been hit the hardest by this pandemic."

These clinics are available through the State of Rhode Island’s HDC efforts and the vaccine allocations are dependent on the State’s continued support of these initiatives. The High Density Communities are impacted disproportionately by COVID-19 due to many socioeconomic conditions that create a higher level of risk for both exposure and transmission. When denoting specific zip codes as HDC, data on underlying structural factors, along with COVID-19 specific data on hospitalizations and mortality were used to identify the hardest hit areas. Among those were Pawtucket, Central Falls, and certain zip codes in Providence.

Other HDC clinics, in addition to the YMCA located clinics, include the allocations to the Blackstone Valley Community Healthcare Center, Simpson Pharmacy, Santiago Medical Group, and some of the City’s clinics.

The City continues to anticipate having Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson throughout these different vaccine clinics in the coming weeks. Residents are encouraged to visit the Pawtucket website at www.PawtucketRI.com/Covid19 to see any available clinics and to fill out the Request for Information form to be notified when clinics become available. The website is updated 7 days a week when a clinic is opened.

Those who may need further assistance can still reach out to the BEAT COVID-19 call line at 855-843-7620.

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Wilder Arboleda

Office: 401-728-0500 Ext. 358

warboleda@pawtucketri.com