Chicana Elected Officials Champion Increased Vaccine Access
Local leaders partner with Servicios de la Raza & CDPHE to bring drive-up vaccinations to north, west, southwest Denver
DENVER – Approximately 600 Coloradans over 70 years of age will receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a free community vaccination clinic this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Servicios de la Raza, 3131 West 14th Avenue in Denver. This clinic was organized by House Assistant Majority Leader Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez (HD4), Denver Council President Pro Tem Jamie Torres (District 3), Denver City Councilmember Amanda Sandoval (District 1), Denver Public Schools Board Treasurer Angela Cobián (District 2), and Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Gonzales (SD34), in partnership with Servicios de la Raza and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
“The Latino population has been hit hard by this pandemic. Thank you to CDPHE for fulfilling our requests for vaccines and hearing our calls for equity coming from our community. Thank you Governor Polis for stopping by to see the work and leadership of our local elected Chicanas, Servicios de La Raza, and the many volunteers are doing to ensure our Latino elders are getting their vaccines. Within days of publicizing this community clinic, we booked six hundred vaccination appointments for elders in our community,” said House Assistant Majority Leader Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, who represents House District 4, comprised of north and west Denver.
“Working together is needed more now than ever, for our community, for our elders, and for our future. Collaborating with these other Chicana elected leaders has been inspiring and shown that representation matters! We have a growing wait list and are excited to bring more of these vital clinics to neighborhoods who have traditionally been underserved, in ways that ensure that regardless of what language you speak, whether you have access to a computer or not, that you can access this life-saving COVID-19 vaccine,” said Denver Councilmember Amanda Sandoval, who represents north Denver’s District 1 on the Denver City Council.
“We’ve seen several barriers emerge since COVID began and an effort like this is absolutely necessary to cut through inequitable access. We recognize that our elders face barriers to tech, uncertainty about documents or identification, and so our relationships in community become a pivotal factor in getting the vaccine to them. We know that when we proactively reach out to our community, en su idioma preferida, in places that they know and trust, that we can build equity and access,” said Denver Councilmember Jamie Torres, who represents West Denver’s District 3 on the Denver City Council.
“We are better together! There’s a reason why we chant, ‘un Pueblo Unido, jamas será vencido.’ We are so thankful for our volunteers who take ownership over our community. We’ve had to navigate a lot of logistics this week, but we are proud of our work and hope that we can serve as a model for other community-based pop up clinics across the metro Denver region and throughout the state of Colorado,” said Director Angela Cobián, who serves as the treasurer for the Denver Public Schools board of directors.
“I’ve seen firsthand how devastating this virus is. Less than three weeks ago, my husband buried his mom, uncle, and grandfather, who all passed from COVID-19 complications. The values of In Lak’Esh — tu eres mi otro yo, I am your other you — are embedded throughout the planning of this event. This vaccine will save lives and getting a vaccine is an act of love for our families and our community. I am so honored to work alongside these fiercely dedicated public servants to bring this clinic to nuestra comunidad,” said Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Gonzales, who represents District 34 (north, west, and downtown Denver) in Colorado’s state Senate.
