Helena Field Office, Montana Partners Hold Vaccination Clinics

Blake Matthews (VISTA member), Amber Nichols (VISTA Member), Patti Webster (HomeFront Ex. Director); Bottom left to right: Brenda Koch (RiverStone Health), Gregory Neill (RiverStone Health)

Through the combined talents of the HUD Helena Field Office staff in Montana and several community partners in Billings, vaccination clinics were held on June 22 and June 25 at two different locations to maximize the vaccination opportunities for residents in Billings. HUD staff collaborated with RiverStone Health (a HRSA-supported community health center), HomeFront Housing Authority, and the City of Billings Metro VISTA Project. It was the collaborative efforts of this partnership, partners sharing clinic and vaccination information within their networks, and the extraordinary talents of the VISTA members that resulted in nearly 35 individuals ages 12 and up being vaccinated.

The two vaccination clinics were held at a public housing authority property and the Rimrock Mall and included a gift card incentive, from the Downtown Billings Alliance, for any individual that was vaccinated. The Rimrock Mall site was made possible by a generous donation from the St. Vincent Foundation in Billings to cover the $300 site fee. The AmeriCorps VISTA members outreach efforts were key to the success of these events. VISTA members worked on securing incentives and went door-to-door at HomeFront properties, handing out over 380 informational flyers about the event and the importance of getting vaccinated. Follow-up clinics for second shots are also being planned at these same locations three weeks after the initial clinics.

This informational campaign included the availability of a consent form for individuals 12 to 18 years of age to receive the vaccination. As a result, one young individual found the flyer on her grandmother's front door and was so empowered to get vaccinated that she took the steps to get her father to take her to the clinic to be vaccinated.

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