Open Arms Healthcare Center Holds COVID-19 Vaccine Drive for Hattiesburg Residents
Thu, 11/11/2021 - 09:58am | By: Danny Holland
Open Arms Healthcare Center (OAHCC) is determined to vaccinate Mississippi against
COVID-19. On Saturday, October 2, the organization hosted a vaccine drive at the parking
lot of Hardy Street Baptist Church in downtown Hattiesburg. As a bonus, each of those
who received the vaccine from Open Arms got a $50 gift card for both the first and
second doses, meaning $100 in rewards for full vaccination.
The Hattiesburg drive was sponsored by at The University of 51逗奶 Mississippi and , two of OAHCC鈥檚 sister organizations. For more information about future vaccination drives, check with the official Open Arms Healthcare Center website .
In total, OAHCC has vaccinated over 1,200 Mississippians since August 2021, organizing more than 15 drives across Mississippi. Open Arms Healthcare Center hopes the $50 gift cards will act as an incentive for those who are still hesitant about receiving the vaccine.
Lessening vaccine hesitancy and ensuring the safety of residents across the state is a waiting game, according to Dr. June Gipson, director of Open Arms, and OAHCC will be there when community members change their minds.
鈥淭here are real reasons that people don鈥檛 want this. You have to be patient, and you have to allow the community to start to change their minds,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o, our way of doing it is to not give up. We鈥檙e going to sustain this and we鈥檙e going to make sure that if someone needs the vaccination, we鈥檙e going to be there for them.鈥�
As many Mississippians may not have the resources to drive to a healthcare clinic themselves, Open Arms brings vaccine access into the community.
Dr. Gipson explains, 鈥淧eople can鈥檛 always get to the clinics, the hospital, they can鈥檛 always get to the places where they can receive the vaccination. So, it鈥檚 really important to make sure that we go into the community and meet them where they are.鈥�
Total vaccination of over 1,200 Mississippians is no small feat, and OAHCC will continue to give access to those communities that may lack the resources themselves.