{"id":473885,"date":"2021-04-08T16:20:17","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T20:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/?p=473885"},"modified":"2021-04-08T16:20:17","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T20:20:17","slug":"100-vaccination-centers-get-a-boost-from-americorps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/100-vaccination-centers-get-a-boost-from-americorps\/","title":{"rendered":"100 Vaccination Centers Get a Boost from AmeriCorps"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nNational service agency deploys disaster response teams nationwide to increase vaccine access in underserved communities, reduce wait times, and help get more people to vaccination sites
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WASHINGTON, D.C., April 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As part of President Biden\u2019s commitment to safely vaccinate 200 million Americans before the end of April, the federal agency for national service, AmeriCorps, has deployed members to more than 99 vaccination centers and mobile clinics across the country to augment efforts by local, state, and federal agencies to get shots in arms of eligible adults.<\/p>\n

Members of the agency\u2019s elite AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team<\/a>, along with those from the FEMA Corps<\/a> program, have filled gaps in locations with critical support needs and are providing the additional labor needed to ensure every American has information about and access to life-saving COVID-19 vaccines. FEMA Corps is a 10-year partnership between AmeriCorps and FEMA which creates unique teams within the National Civilian Community Corps<\/a> of specially trained 18\u201026\u2010year\u2010old participants who get the opportunity to serve communities impacted by disaster while gaining professional development experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers are increasing the capacity of COVID-19 vaccination centers around the country and ensuring that Americans living in underserved communities have access to the vaccine,\u201d said Karen Dahl, Senior Advisor for COVID-19 at AmeriCorps. \u201cThey are making lines move faster, getting people off waiting lists, improving site operations, coordinating transportation, and providing comfort to vulnerable community members. This impact shows that the people power of national service is a crucial force multiplier, especially in a time when the country needs it most.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since vaccination efforts began earlier this year, nearly 600 AmeriCorps members have assisted more than 1 million people, helping them register for vaccination appointments and guiding them throughout the vaccination process. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were serving in Venice, Calif., at a mobile vaccination site when a patient came through whose 99th birthday is coming up soon,\u201d said Mary Gill, an AmeriCorps NCCC Team Leader deployed to a California vaccination center. \u201cAfter receiving her second dose of the vaccine, she was so thankful. She shared that her grandson had received his second dose recently and he was on his way to give his grandmother a hug. We\u2019re reuniting families, one dose at a time!\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to vaccination site support, at least 33,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers have provided COVID-19 direct relief, assisting an additional 6 million people, providing 15 million meals, collecting and distributing more than 34,000 tons of food, conducting more than 1.3 million wellness checks, and registering thousands of additional community volunteers to support COVID-19 response.<\/p>\n

With existing programs in more than 40,000 locations across the country, AmeriCorps is uniquely positioned to bolster community response efforts. For the past year, thousands of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors members across all 50 states and U.S. territories have continued their service, quickly adapting to meet the changing needs caused by the pandemic. In addition to their support of vaccination centers, AmeriCorps programs are delivering crucial services to:<\/p>\n