Press release from Hola Carolina:
Hola Carolina, a Spanish news resource and trusted collaborative partner building connections that serve the Latinx community in Western North Carolina, today announced a new transportation program, called Vamos Carolina, to provide Covid-19 vaccinations to families and workers. This complimentary service spanning 18 counties is made possible with support from Dogwood Health Trust. The initial support from Dogwood has enabled Hola to purchase the van necessary to provide the transportation, but in order to meet long-term goals and reach more people in the region, additional funding for Vamos Carolina will be necessary.
Hola Carolina has established a transportation hotline that is now open for families and workers in the Latinx community who live in Western North Carolina. Those interested in round-trip transportation to a Covid-19 vaccination can call to schedule at (828) 989-5248 or visit holacarolina.org.
“The primary barrier to vaccinations for our families and workers is due to lack of a vehicle. We recognize how critical it is to close the vaccination gap in rural Latinx communities by providing much-needed transportation services,” said Adriana Chavela, executive director of Hola Carolina. “Our program, Vamos Carolina, is aggressive because it has to be — health equity impacts our economy — with healthier workers, we have a stronger and more competitive state. The peace of mind offered by this program will go far to improve our economy and the health of our families. We’re so grateful to Dogwood Health Trust for the initial funding to make Vamos Carolina possible.”
Hispanics make up 9.8 percent of North Carolina’s population and have borne the burden of 21 percent of the state’s more than 930,000 cases of COVID-19. As of April 22, they made up 11.2 percent of those vaccinated compared with 20.1 percent of African-Americans, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
“The health of all of us depends on the health of each of us,” added Chavela.
Vamos Carolina is an initiative open to the Latinx community living in Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey counties. Vamos Carolina is accessible to families and individuals who need transportation for health services beyond Covid-19 vaccinations. Hola Carolina community partners are on board to assist with transportation services in each county.
For those interested in scheduling a free ride to Covid-19 vaccination appointments or to help deliver such services, call the Vamos Carolina transportation hotline at (828) 989 – 5248 or visit holacarolina.org.
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