Sentara Healthcare and partners host two large-scale COVID-19 vaccine clinics to vaccinate Phase 1b patients and community members

Sentara Healthcare is partnering with local cities, health districts, colleges and medical schools to organize two large-scale COVID-19 vaccination clinics on Saturday, January 30, 2021. The clinics are by appointment only. People are being contacted directly to schedule an appointment. We cannot accommodate walk-ins or calls to schedule an appointment.

By the close of both clinics, we plan to administer up to 10,000 vaccines to eligible Phase 1b patients and community members in Hampton Roads. These Phase 1b vaccination clinics have been organized through tremendous partnership with the City of Norfolk, the City of Hampton, The Virginia Department of Health, Norfolk State University, Hampton University, Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), Old Dominion University, Bryant & Stratton College, Sentara College of Health and Science, ECPI University, Tidewater Community College, Virginia Beach Practical Nursing School, Cox Communications, the Urban League of Hampton Roads, NAACP, and many additional non-profit and faith-based organizations.

“Our mission as an organization is to improve health every day. By working together with our community partners we can offer a potentially life-saving vaccine to thousands of our community members who are at high-risk for developing severe illness from COVID-19,” said Jordan Asher, Chief Physician Executive at Sentara Healthcare.

The COVID-19 vaccine clinics are being held at the Norfolk Scope Arena and the Hampton Convention Center from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 30, 2021. Each clinic will vaccinate roughly 5,000 people eligible for the vaccine in Phase 1b as prioritized by guidance by the Virginia Department of Health, with an emphasis on underserved minority populations for whom access may be a challenge. These locations were selected in partnership with the City of Norfolk and the City of Hampton and are based in areas with high health equity needs.

Sentara has worked extensively through partnerships with community organizations, Urban League and NAACP chapters, non-profit and faith-based organizations, among others, to ensure access for qualifying members of our communities. 

“We understand the many challenges facings those in underserved communities, including access to a COVID-19 vaccine,” said Iris Lundy, director of Health Equity for Sentara Healthcare. “We are building trust, sharing educational resources, and getting the word out through these organizations that the vaccine is safe, and we are committed to offering the vaccine to these high-risk individuals in the appropriate phase group as supply allows.”

Several church pastors and community leaders will be sharing their vaccination experience with their organizations and through social media to promote education on vaccine safety to Black and Brown community members.

“It is important for those who may be historically skeptical of vaccines to have access to factual information through trusted relationships,” Lundy said, “Sentara Healthcare is supporting these organizations to ensure accurate safety and educational material is available to those community members.”

Each vaccine clinic will have more than 60 trained shot administrators, including volunteer medical students. Sentara will continue to work in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health and local health districts to support future vaccine clinics for eligible community members. We encourage those who are eligible to receive the vaccine in Phase 1b to sign up to receive the vaccine through their local health department. While Sentara will continue to vaccinate eligible patients and community members as vaccine supply allows, they may be able to receive the vaccine through their health department sooner than with their provider.

If community members have questions regarding the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine, or to read our FAQs, we encourage them to visit www.sentara.com/vaccine for our latest updates.