The University of Nevada, Reno Nevada Public Health Training Center’s #COVIDCrew and the Medical Social Justice League (MSJ) are hosting a vaccination clinic for the Latinx community, El Gran Vacunatón, on Memorial Day weekend. The clinic will be held at St. Therese Church of the Little Flower Friday, May 28, from 3 -6 p.m., and Saturday, May 29, from 2-7 p.m. in collaboration with REMSA Health, Pongamos de Nuestra Parte, Immunize Nevada, City of Reno and Washoe County Health District. The clinic will be held at 875 E. Plumb Ln., with music and outdoor festivities on Saturday. Masks will be required for everyone in attendance. 

The Medical Social Justice League (MSJ), part of the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, is made up of a group of first-year students whose goal is to address the equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. This synergistic collaboration began in January with #COVIDCrew and, to date, have assisted with over 850 vaccinations in the Latinx community. 

 #COVIDCrew’s guerilla-style social marketing has led them to do outreach with MSJ at Little Flower Church in April with the approval of Father Paul, who serves the largest concentration of Latinx people in the area. The outreach identified the need for the vaccine to be brought to Latinx churches.  

“Little Flower is a staple amongst Latinx parishioners in this community,” Diana Sande, communications manager at the University’s School of Community Health Sciences said. “This outreach positioned the students as experts and slowly built trust in the Latinx community. If we want more Latinx people to be vaccinated, we need to meet them where they are and where they feel safe.”    

The first vaccine clinic held at a Latinx church on May 16 at St. Peter Canisius in Sun Valley vaccinated 454 Latinx people. 

Watch the first public health message in Washoe County, “Take Care” video on YouTube in Spanish and the "Take Care" video on YouTube in English. Follow the campaign on social media on Instagram and Twitter @EffingCOVID as well as Instagram @PcheCOVID. Questions can be directed to Diana Sande at dsande@unr.edu.