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January 2024

Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign

By Sue Kujawa and Katie Brandon

We continue to see an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and at the same time, the flu and other respiratory diseases are hitting our community. In the January 14, 2024, LA Times article, “One-two punch of COVID and flu is hitting L.A. County hard,” Rong-Gong Lin II reported, “Health officials noted that many deaths could have been avoided with higher rates of vaccination.”

In the fall Pasadena Village was awarded funding from USAging, which was our first national grant award. As part of this Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative, we have been able to amplify our efforts to promote community health. In addition, this award has helped us expand our scope and outreach to specific communities.

The USAging Collaborative and the Pasadena Health Department helped us to identify and target populations of older adults, to make sure they receive accurate information regarding vaccines. Our outreach is particularly targeting African American, Latino/a/x, Armenian, and individuals in the LGBTQ+ community.

Pasadena Village thrives on many partnerships and connections that position us to reach out to these specific populations of older adults. We have partnered with local organizations to leverage and expand our outreach, including:

Altadena Chamber of Commerce

Altadena Library District

Armenian Relief Society

City of Pasadena Health Department

Huntington Health

Los Angeles LGBT Center

Pasadena Public Libraries

South Pasadena Rotary Club

Southern California Women’s Health Conference & Women in Leadership Vital Voices

And faith communities including:

Friendship Pasadena Church

Holy Family Catholic Church

La Canada Presbyterian Church

Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church

We are distributing information in English, Armenian, and Spanish. Villagers and our community volunteers have staffed outreach tables at community festivals and events. We have reached over 9,000 people since mid-October (over 8,000 through targeted Facebook ads and over 1,000 via other channels). Providing incentive gift cards helped entice older adults to call the Village office for connections and support in accessing vaccinations.

With the support of our business partner Pegasus Home Health Care, we were able to offer free flu and pneumonia vaccines to 43 people on December 10. Pasadena Village’s Care Team and Village Visitor volunteers reached out to older adults in their homes. We are partnering with the Women in Leadership Vital Voices to push vaccinations at the Southern California Women’s Health Conference, which will be held on March 22 at the Hilton Pasadena.

Pasadena Village continues to offer transportation to and from vaccination sites, assistance with scheduling vaccinations, and referral services to obtain vaccinations. Information and support is available on our new Vaccine Information webpage.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion does not just apply to Villagers, but to the entire community. Reaching out to encourage older adults to get vaccinated, helping them locate vaccination services, and providing incentives to protect their health are just some examples of our core vision of ensuring that older adults thrive as they age.

What can you do? The Pasadena Village Care Team reminds us “that you may want to consider wearing a mask at indoor gatherings, wash your hands frequently, and consider testing if you exhibit symptoms.”

You can help people access vaccinations and get to wherever they want to go as a volunteer driver. We are seeing an increased demand for rides and we need more volunteer drivers. If you are willing to give rides on your own time, contact volunteer coordinator Priyanka Kumar to learn more about being a volunteer driver at 626-765-6037 or at priyanka@pasadenavillage.org.

Call the Village Office if you want information on vaccinations, help scheduling an appointment, or arranging a free ride to your appointment. If you are 60+, we would like to offer you a free $20 gift card if you get the flu or COVID-19 vaccine by March 22, 2024. Call us at 626-765-6037 or attend the free Vibrant Living Resource Fair on February 6 to get your vaccination.