Reaching this diverse population was clearly going to require a multipronged approach and some creative outreach solutions, and that’s where PESA entered the picture. “The California governor’s office contracted with the University of California Regents, which in turn contracted with reputable community partners like PESA for help,” says Seymour Amster, Executive President of the CBO.
PESA was awarded the Panorama City/Van Nuys/North Hollywood regions, and starting in June, immediately went to work to get people in those areas signed up for vaccines or directly getting shots in arms. “We used door knocking and phone banking,” says Amster. “We hit the streets to reach people at Home Depots, grocery stores, laundromats. We created an informational poster and put that up in highly trafficked areas. We reached out to the undocumented community to inform them how they could safely get vaccinated.”
And it was an all-hands-on-deck effort, employing some 50 PESA staffers and volunteers, including high school interns and college-level social work students. And it certainly helped that many of those were bilingual.
“We helped people get online to make appointments, and we followed up with them to make sure they got to their second shots,” says Amster. “If we were working in an area where there happened to be a mobile clinic nearby, we helped get people in that very day. In some instances where transportation was an issue, we were able to arrange for an Uber. We even worked with local fire departments to deliver and administer shots to the disabled, immobile and homebound. Whatever it takes to get people vaccinated and save lives: That’s the goal.”
The result speaks for itself: Since the effort began, according to official state data, vaccination rates in the Panorama City/Van Nuys/North Hollywood area experienced a 30% increase. Separately, PESA estimates that through all of its various vaccination efforts (outreach, popup clinics, scheduling assistance), it has enabled the vaccination of more than 1,000 people.
“And as long as funding allows,” says Amster, “the effort will continue.”
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