Local Take: The first of the "Mondays in the Park" series started here, as well as, our first park based SLO Public Health Mobile Vaccine Clinic. The Parks department also help arrange alot & they helped with logistics, chairs, music, & invited a whole bunch of Food Trucks [Baguette About It; Cubanisimo, & Plant Ivy].
The event was quite a success from the Food Truck & fun point of view. Both kids & adults had a good time. The trucks had long lines & sold out of most things after awhile. There were some performances, dancing, & music. The park itself is really close to downtown SLO, but unless you know exactly where it is, you can easily confuse it with another nearby park that is a few blocks more toward Cuesta Grade. This park is more suited to Food Trucks being inside, but the parking around here is not so great.
Our Vaccine event was more informative & it was to test the waters in a park setting. We did have a bunch of people stop by for information & did one shot, but oddly enough I had more requests for a free beer or Vodka. It seemed that the majority of the people here mostly had their vaccines done already, but it was nice to chat.
Since we just finished the second "Monday in the Parks" event in DeVaul Park, which was less packed with a much better turn out for vaccines, this series in these challenging times, seems to be a hit.
While there are two more events like this, in two other SLO City Parks, it is probable that if these continue to be a success, it might become a regular thing. People seem to love the Food Trucks, the fun, & do appreciate the health promotion/ disease prevention aspect as well.
Of course, we also enjoy these events as we also work.
It is a pleasure for us, especially the Medical Reserve Corp Volunteers, to help our neighbors & our community, in these community settings. Every shot that we do can potential save many lives by slowing down, or even stopping an outbreak...especially with the most recent finding that any one Delta case can spread to 8-9 other people. This is now a very transmissible virus that rivals Chickenpox and even exceeds the transmissibility of several other serious infectious diseases including the now extinct Smallpox. Evolution can be amazing, but can also be very deadly when it works against a species.
Over the past months were have done dozens of Mobile Clinics in almost all towns & cities in SLO county. We have had Mobile or Pop-up clinics in a wide range of venues, both inside & out.
They include Parks, Community Centers, Churches, Schools, Food Banks/Pantries, Low Income Housing Areas, Farmers Markets, Swap Meet,
Workplaces, and more.
If anyone wants to propose a place for us to do a Pop-up, we are all ears.
If anyone wants to get a vaccine [either Pfizer or J&J] please look for either one of our future Mobile Clinic sites, or head to one of 3 SLOPHDs [Grover, SLO, or Paso]. While it is harder to find, some Pharmacies may have Pfizer, but we definitely do. J&J is used for those who prefer a one shot deal.
Things are getting more serious as the C-19 Delta spreads & testing is ramping up again....as well as cases. The completed vaccine rate in SLO County is not the best by far, but we are trying our very best to increase awareness & accessibility for everyone. Please get vaccinated if not already & please kindly encourage those who are resistant to please come out to at least chat with us. We keep up with the latest information and can help address people's concerns as well as help correct misinformation or myths.
It is great that the Parks Dept. as well as other groups help support us in these community outreach projects.
While it may seem odd to get a vaccine in a park, it is hard to think of a safer more pleasant way to get one. People seem to feel much less anxious in this non-clinical environment.
Thank you! read more
