Courtney Luciana photo
Joan Brissett, among 80 vaccinated at Bethel Church’s pop-up clinic.
Joan Brissett went to church Wednesday not to pray, but to get a Covid-19 vaccine shot.
She found peace.
Brissett, 65, was one of 80 congregants and neighbors to show up for their shot at a pop-up clinic held at Bethel AME Church on Goffe Street — one of numerous such clinics the city Health Department has staged to address concerns in the Black community about the vaccine.
A longtime Bethel member, Brissett said she had been worried about the side effects that may ensue from the shot. Wednesday’s event put her at ease.
“I was afraid about what I heard on TV about some of the things that happened to African Americans throughout the pandemic. That was on my mind a lot,” Brissett said. “It was a weight off my shoulders that I could get vaccinated at my church and could have some peace around getting it.”
Rev. Steven Cousin of Bethel AME Church.
A majority of Bethel’s 300 active members are Black.
Bethel’s pastor, the Rev. Steven Cousin, said that the vaccine has opened a window that may lead to the church reopening this spring for in-person services.
“The things that we love to do as a Black church — we love to hug, we love to shake hands, and really have that physical contact,” Cousin said. “Now with Covid-19, we might not be doing any of that when interacting. That’s going to be one of the biggest changes.”
Since the pandemic began, the city Health Department and community leaders have sought to address reluctance in communities of color, first about testing and precautions, and now about vaccine.
Rev. Cousin said it’s important to raise the awareness of racial inequities in health care.
“When anything is new, you’re going to have a critical eye to it,” Cousin said. “But also, we can’t ignore the racism that is in our health care field as well, where there are those who have not received the best health care due to their ethnic group. Once again, it’s about the access.”
Beaver Hills Alder Jill Marks said Bethel AME Church serves as a staple of the community.
“This church is established in the ward,” Marks said. “They’re playing a big part of helping out to improve our neighborhood here. In this particular community, where there’s a lot of Black and brown people that are definitely underserved, the church is helping to provide accessibility and allowing the people who want to get vaccinated to have the opportunity.”
New Haven Health Department nurses Marie Porricelli and Pat Lalor.
The New Haven Health Department has vaccinated 6,200 people. Residents are demanding more Covid-19 vaccination sites to pop-up throughout the city in order to gain faster, easier accessibility.
The Health Department plans to continue to provide pop-up vaccinations throughout the city on Wednesdays.
Mayor Justin Elicker said there are still a number of limitations. “One is the number of vaccines that we have available,” Elicker said. “And two is the capacity for people to be able to vaccinate.”
“I Want To Be Around”
Louis Bosley, Rodney Diggs and outreach worker Naomi Campbell at Wednesday’s clinic.
Rodney Diggs, 70, a colorectal cancer survivor of 10 years, said that he always knew was going to participate in getting his Covid-19 vaccination. He has seen too many people he loves die from the virus.
“When you know people that have died from it, you know that it’s real,” Diggs said. “I’m happy to be here. I want to stay longer, because I have a lot of people in my life that I want to be around.”
Louis Bosley, 68, a retired New Haven firefighter of 31 years, said he thinks people are skeptical about receiving the Covid-19 vaccine due to a lack of research.
“I would have gotten the vaccine even if my church didn’t offer the COVID-19 vaccine today,” Bosley said. “There needs to be more pop-ups because a lot of the time people don’t have the transportation, they need more education about the vaccine, and for people to get the message out to them.”
“I have to say honestly, we as folks of color, don’t really talk about health a lot,” observed Health Department outreach worker Naomi Campbell. “Sometimes we, as people of color, don’t always feel comfortable. Sometimes we want to sit back and watch to see what happens and what the outcome is before we react.”
The next round of vaccinations at Bethel AME Church will be given on March 17.