Little Tokyo Service Center, Wesley Health Centers and Keiro Partner To Provide COVID-19 Boosters To Little Tokyo Community

Strategic partnership breaks down barriers to COVID-19 vaccination access

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tenaya Senzaki, tsenzaki@ltsc.orgcreate new email; Tricia Waite, twaite@jwch.orgcreate new email; Hiromi Aoyama, haoyama@keiro.orgcreate new email

LOS ANGELES, November 24, 2021 – Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC), Wesley Health Centers and Keiro have partnered to bring a mobile clinic to Little Tokyo on December 2, 2021 – providing the COVID-19 vaccine booster to local low-income seniors, essential workers and childcare professionals who otherwise do not have access. This booster clinic follows a series of COVID-19 vaccination clinics that LTSC and Wesley Health Centers hosted earlier this year at Terasaki Budokan.

Locating and receiving a COVID-19 booster requires technology to navigate the multi-step online process, English language skills, and access to transportation – which create lofty barriers for Little Tokyo’s low-income seniors, essential workers and childcare professionals. To meet this unmet community health need, Thursday’s clinic will bring booster shots to the community at nearby Terasaki Budokan. With Keiro’s funding support, Wesley Health Centers will supply the vaccines, the mobile vaccination unit and staff to help distribute the doses. LTSC social workers will conduct outreach and pre-registration in Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Spanish, and provide day-of support in-language.

“I don’t drive, and I can’t be away from my babies for too long. It’s also hard to step away from my job to get the shot. The convenience of this clinic is really good for me.” said Dulce Gonzalez, a local childcare professional.

“It is such a relief to take my husband to the Little Tokyo vaccine clinic since it’s a short walking distance from my home. It would’ve been a great challenge to take him elsewhere since he is in a wheelchair. I appreciate all the thoughtful details of the clinic. I am so impressed by how smooth and efficient it is,” said Yoshiko Takahashi, a 10-year resident of Little Tokyo Towers.

After hosting 5 vaccine clinics that distributed over 500 shots earlier this year, Thursday’s booster clinic follows through on the commitment to keep our community healthy and safe.

“As recommendations for boosters rolled out, we wanted to make sure everyone in our community had access to critical health care. We’ve learned that many factors like distance to a clinic and access to technology are huge obstacles for people seeking a vaccine. We’re incredibly grateful for our partnership with Keiro and Wesley Health Centers – together, we’re able to keep our community safe as we enter the holiday season,” said Ayumi Nagata, program coordinator at Little Tokyo Service Center.

“We are pleased to partner with LTSC and Wesley Health Centers to provide this timely vaccine booster clinic. It is important for us to make boosters available and accessible especially to those in our community who are most vulnerable. We hope all eligible people in our community will get vaccinated as soon as possible.” Gene Kanamori, president & CEO, Keiro.

ABOUT LTSC          

Little Tokyo Service Center is a social service and community development organization that has been creating positive change for the people and places in Southern California for 40 years. Starting with its home in Little Tokyo, LTSC preserves and strengthens the unique ethnic communities of the region where people, culture and collective future matter. www.LTSC.org

ABOUT WESLEY HEALTH CENTERS

Wesley Health Centers, operated by JWCH Institute Inc is a 501 (c)(3) Federally Qualified Health Center established in 1960. Wesley is the largest provider of homeless health care in California and our mission is to “improve the health status and well-being of under-served segments of the population of Los Angeles County through the direct provision or coordination of health care, health education, services, and research”. We currently operate 35 sites, which include primary care clinics, dental clinics, school-based sites, mental health and substance use treatment sites, homeless health care, and mobile units to provide quality and integrated care to low-income and homeless residents throughout LA County. http://jwchinstitute.org/

ABOUT KEIRO

For 60 years, Keiro has focused on improving the quality of life for older adults and their caregivers in the Japanese American community of Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties. Keiro provides a range of culturally-sensitive programs and resources, in both English and Japanese, to meet the evolving needs of our aging community. In everything we do, we advance our mission through a person-centered, innovative, and collaborative approach. For more information, visit keiro.org.

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