FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University professor Sofia Curdumi Pendley and community based organization Make the Road Connecticut (MRCT) have received a $100,000 Community Catalyst grant to make the COVID-19 vaccine more accessible for immigrants. The funding runs through next July.
Community Catalyst is a nonprofit national health organization that advocates for health equity and justice by empowering people to influence local, state and national decisions that affect their health. The organization’s new Vaccine Equity and Access Program supports community-based organizations led by and working with people of color to publicize and increase access to vaccines, specifically those for influenza and COVID-19.
Pendley, clinical assistant professor in SHU’s public health department, is a first-generation Cuban-American. She researches disaster resilience, the impact of disasters on health and health equity. Her research uses a partnership approach that involves community members’ first-hand accounts of experiences. Pendley is also a health-care advocate and during the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked to increase vaccination rates in Connecticut.
Make the Road Connecticut, which has offices in Bridgeport and Hartford, is a member-led organization made up of low-income and working-class Latinx living throughout the state. It advocates for immigrant and workers’ rights, education equity, health justice, women's rights and other issues. Make the Road CT builds power through community organizing, leadership development, transformative education and policy change.
Pendley and her public health team will collaborate with Make the Road Connecticut to train vaccine clinic staff to better support the undocumented community. Master of public health students will conduct focus groups with community members to further understand the obstacles they face when trying to get vaccinated.
There are many barriers to accessing vaccinations. This project will focus on training health-care workers to identify and promote vaccine locations that can be easily accessed during a variety of hours, communicate eligibility regardless of immigration status and provide clear explanations on how personal information will be used. Pendley and MRCT hope to make vaccine clinics a welcoming space for all, thus increasing vaccination rates and stopping the spread of COVID-19.
“Make the Road has been hearing from members for years about different barriers they face in accessing quality health care, including lack of health insurance, language barriers, fear of being discovered as undocumented, a lack of understanding of the health care system, amongst others,” said Mary Elizabeth Smith, senior development and programs manager at Make the Road CT. “These issues have only gotten worse during COVID … We are partnering with SHU on this project to tackle these barriers at the systemic level, by training vaccine clinic staff to create a more inclusive environment for immigrant, Latinx and non-English speaking communities.”
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About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 386 Colleges–2021 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best Business Schools–2021 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theatre. www.sacredheart.edu