YMCA of Centre County is partnering with Centre Volunteers in Medicine to help more Pennsylvanians get their COVID-19 vaccines.
CVIM will host at least eight free walk-in vaccine clinics throughout Centre County this summer. Each will coincide with YMCA of Centre County’s Summer Lunch program – an anti-hunger initiative that provides grab-and-go meals for families in need.
Participants can choose between the two-dose Pfizer vaccine (approved for Pennsylvanians 12 and older) or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine (approved for Pennsylvanians 18 and older). Both are free and available without insurance.
Health care professionals will be on-site at each clinic to provide vaccine information and answer questions participants may have. Parental permission is required for any patients between 12 and 15 years old.
Each CVIM clinic will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Here’s the full clinic schedule:
· June 24 at Penns Valley YMCA – first dose
· June 30 at State College YMCA – first dose
· July 1 at Moshannon Valley YMCA – first dose
· July 6 at Bellefonte YMCA – first dose
· July 15 at Penns Valley YMCA – second dose
· July 20 at State College YMCA – second dose
· July 22 at Moshannon Valley YMCA – second dose
· July 27 at Bellefonte YMCA – second dose
Mel Curtis, director of YMCA of Centre County’s anti-hunger program, said hosting vaccine clinics was an easy decision. He hopes Centre County’s YMCA network will help CVIM provide greater access to vaccines in the region.
“[CVIM is] local. They’ve maybe seen some of these people in these communities that didn’t have transportation to get to one of their sites,” Curtis said. “To us, it was a no-brainer.”
Since COVID-19 vaccines were authorized for emergency use, CVIM has held many clinics in Centre County, including sites at Mount Nittany Middle School and Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center.
More information about this summer’s clinics is available online.