PARTNERSHIPS TO BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY

Pasadena Village’s Executive Director Katie Brandon met Dr. Greg Sanchez when Pasadena Village was in the Business 4 Business “Hot Seat” in June 2021. He joined other business leaders in sharing advice on how Pasadena Village can raise its visibility and attract new members. Greg owns the Home Instead® franchise for Pasadena, which offers personalized care, support and education to enhance the lives of aging adults and their families. Home Instead services span the care continuum – from providing personal care to specialized Alzheimer’s care and hospice support, as well as family caregiver education and support resources. 

Greg met with Pasadena Village’s president Pat Dawe and Katie in July and soon after proposed a partnership where Home Instead Pasadena would donate $100 to Pasadena Village for every free COVID-19 vaccine that Pasadena Public Health Department administers at an upcoming vaccination clinic, up to $10,000! He stated, “Our hope in tying vaccination events and donations to nonprofits like the Pasadena Village is to provide our neighbors with an opportunity to protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus while recognizing these amazing organizations for all their hard work during 2020.”

After searching for a suitable venue for the vaccination clinic for several weeks, Sara Federman, Emergency Preparedness Management Analyst for the Pasadena Public Health Department got confirmation that the Pasadena Buddhist Temple was willing and available. The Health Department, Buddhist Temple, Home Instead, and Pasadena Village set the date for Thursday, September 9 from 9 to 11 am. 

The one-day only clinic will offer free doses of Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, or Johnson & Johnson at Pasadena Buddhist Temple at 1993 Glen Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103. Sign ups are available online at  Myturn.ca.gov or by calling Home Instead Pasadena at 626-486-0800. Walk-ins are also accepted. 

COVID-19 vaccinations are free, safe, and highly effective at preventing illness or severe complications from the coronavirus. Everyone aged 12 and over is eligible to receive a vaccine for free. Those who are fully vaccinated protect both their own health, and are part of the solution to slow the spread of the virus to the most vulnerable in our community.

We are asking each of you, our members, supporters, donors, and friends, to invite a neighbor, friend, or relative to consider getting vaccinated on September 9. Maybe you know someone who recently turned 12 or 16, and can now receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine which has just been approved by the FDA for those 16 and older, and is approved for emergency use authorization for those 12 through 15 years old. Or someone who was waiting for full FDA approval before being vaccinated. Or someone whose employer is now requiring vaccinations. Or someone who is immunocompromised and is now eligible for a third dose. 

The vaccination rate in our community is high - at over 80% - but only 67% of those who are African American and 55% of the Hispanic or Latinx population have gotten their first dose. By having this vaccine clinic at the Pasadena Buddhist Temple in Northwest Pasadena, we hope to especially reach individuals from these communities. 

We know that one-on-one conversations with those who are vaccine-hesitant are effective at mitigating misinformation, and give you an opportunity to empathetically listen, try to alleviate fear and mistrust, and share your rationale for wanting your loved ones to be vaccinated.

We hope you will join us on September 9 - and bring a friend! Pasadena Village and our partners look to you to help us raise the vaccination rate, protect the most vulnerable in our community, and reduce hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19, one person at a time.