NorthShore Health Centers has been working in collaboration with the City of Hammond to assist in vaccinating the area's homeless population. With the help of a grant from the city, NorthShore is able to provide much-needed care for everyone, no matter their circumstances.
“NorthShore is here to help anyone regardless of their gender, age, or socioeconomic status. We're here to help people who may be underserved within our population, and this grant kind of aligned with us perfectly. The premise behind the grant is to provide those facing homelessness within the Hammond community the opportunity to receive the COVID vaccination,” said Development and Grants Manager Lauren Marciniak.
The City of Hammond has a higher homeless population than other areas in the Region, and ensuring the safety of people in need has been a struggle due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the preventative vaccine is free to the public, there are other factors that can stand in the way of someone who is homeless receiving their vaccinations.
“Our CEO came up with the idea. Especially in Hammond, there's a higher homeless population in that area. We just feel like everyone deserves the opportunity to get the COVID-19 vaccination," said Marciniak. "If we can help individuals get the COVID-19 vaccine who might not be able to otherwise, that would be wonderful."
Often, people who are homeless are unable to receive a vaccination from other healthcare centers due to a lack of transportation. NorthShore is committed to ensuring that anyone in need of a vaccine receives one, and a large part of the funding from the grant will go towards providing transportation to and from appointments for all three doses.
“They really don't have access to that quality of care,” said Marciniak. “We can give them that care and the COVID-19 vaccination. We have the transportation provided for them as well, and I think that's a major key because, otherwise, where would they be going to get it? We're providing them with that transportation for their first dose, second dose, and even their booster.”
Another part of the grant is going towards an outreach program with the intent to inform the homeless population of vaccination locations and benefits.
“We provide a flyer to each of the places that our community relations staff is going to. It gives them an overview of what vaccines we have, when to expect the second dose, why they should even get the vaccine, and any of those other questions," said Marciniak. "We have community relations staff going out to the food pantries, churches, and other places they might connect with the homeless population. We coordinate a specific meeting spot to be picked up and taken to NorthShore to get a vaccination."
NorthShore hopes to help anyone in need of a vaccination and is committed to providing care for people that may not be able to visit other healthcare facilities. As the world starts to see things slowly going back to normal, Marciniak feels it’s important to continue reaching as many people as possible.
“I just hope that people who are expressing interest in getting the vaccine are helping themselves be protected against COVID-19, as well as protecting the city as a whole. As a nation, we're seeing a wall between waves, and I think now it's as important a time as any to make sure we keep going that path so we can hopefully get back to normal. I really hope this grant has some impact in that,” said Marciniak.
For more information about NorthShore Health Centers, visit its website at northshorehealth.org.
