PHOENIX — It’s been tough for many seniors in the Valley to get vaccinated for a lot of reasons, including technology and physically getting to the big sites.
More than 50 seniors like Gerard Espy and Charlene Laswell were part of the group to get their long-awaited Moderna vaccines on Thursday.
“It went pretty well," Espy said.
"I feel better because now I feel safe," Laswell said.
Epsy and Laswell were able to get their first doses as part of a vaccine event at the Senior Living at Matthew Henson Village. It's a diverse, affordable housing center, near downtown Phoenix.
Mayor Kate Gallego said she’s working to reach the disadvantaged and improve health disparities in Phoenix during the pandemic.
“We hope events like this, that get out into the community will help vaccines become accessible to everyone," Gallego said.
Gallego said she’s asked the White House to make a direct allocation to cities to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.
“This type of event should be a model event where you go out to the residents directly," Gallego said. "There’s not the transportation challenges or the difficulty with the website, and I hope that we’ll see more of these events.”
This event was a partnership between City of Phoenix Housing, the University of Arizona and Maricopa County.
Gallego added there are more vaccine events like this one scheduled through May.
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