City of Seattle to Vaccinate Approximately 400 Child Care Providers
SEATTLE (March 5, 2021) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced the Seattle Fire Department’s (SFD) vaccination efforts for the week of March 1 – March 7, 2021. With approximately 4,000 doses of vaccine, the City is vaccinating older adults living in affordable housing buildings, hosting a pop-up vaccination clinic for Filipino elders, and vaccinating Phase 1A and Phase 1B, Tier 1 eligible Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities at the Community Testing and Vaccination Hubs in Rainier Beach and West Seattle. Following Governor Inslee’s announcement that all child care providers and educators are now eligible under Phase 1B, Tier 1, the City is hosting a vaccination clinic in Rainier Beach focused on child care and preschool providers based in Southeast Seattle, the majority of whom are BIPOC.
Earlier this week, Mayor Durkan announced that the City is opening new, fixed vaccination sites in Rainier Beach and West Seattle, and is partnering with Swedish and First & Goal Inc. on a mass vaccination site at the Lumen Field Event Center, which will open in mid-March.
“The City will soon have three high-volume vaccination sites available for residents and workers across our region. This is a significant step to increase our vaccination rate countywide, and to set Seattle on path to quickly and safely reopen,” said Mayor Durkan. “Since we began our vaccination effort, the City has remained focused on filling gaps in the system, and the vast majority of people vaccinated by the City identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities, and many face other systemic barriers to vaccination including mobility challenges, speaking a language other than English, and being uninsured. With the new, expanded eligibility criteria announced this week, the City will continue that focus by vaccinating child care providers, who are more likely to be BIPOC and underserved by government and health care systems.”
“With WA State having just surpassed 5,000 COVID deaths, it’s now more important than ever to speed up our vaccination efforts to BIPOC communities, frontline workers, and our elders. Thank you to the Seattle Fire Department, City staff, labor partners, and community volunteers for staffing and coordinating outreach for these vaccination sites. I was truly impressed by the diversity of BIPOC elders and frontline workers who I saw receive their vaccines, and the culturally and linguistically appropriate care community members received, while I volunteered at the Rainier Beach clinic all last week. We can do this. We must ensure our most vulnerable populations who have been hardest hit by this pandemic receive vaccines, push for more vaccines from the federal supply, and expeditiously expand our vaccine access for all frontline workers who are at highest risk of exposure to COVID,” said Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (Position 8, Citywide).
This week, the Seattle Fire Department is vaccinating approximately 2,600 Phase 1A and Phase 1B, Tier 1 eligible Seattle residents and workers at the new, fixed Community Testing and Vaccination Hubs in Rainier Beach and West Seattle. The City partnered with approximately 50 community-based and faith-based organizations primarily serving BIPOC communities, older adults, and immigrants and refugees to register people for the clinics. During its initial pilot period in February, 83 percent of those who registered for the Rainier Beach clinic identified as BIPOC. For the week of March 1, 72 percent of all those currently registered for the Rainier Beach clinic identify as BIPOC.
In addition, the City of Seattle is holding a vaccination clinic in Rainier Beach for 400 child care or early learning providers affiliated with the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), Seattle Preschool Program (SPP), Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) child care. The City of Seattle currently contracts with 206 early learning and child care providers through CCAP, SPP, and ECEAP. The City is currently serving 410 children in CCAP (85% are BIPOC), 1,622 children in SPP and Pathway (78% are BIPOC) and 336 children in ECEAP (80% are BIPOC).
“We are thrilled to partner with our City family to offer this vaccination opportunity to our Southeast Seattle childcare and preschool providers,” said Dwane Chappelle, Director of the City’s Department of Education and Early Learning. “To be eligible is great news. To actually receive an invitation to sign up for a vaccination appointment the same week you learn you’re eligible… now that’s remarkable. Our providers take tremendous precautions everyday to keep the young children in their care safe, engaged and learning. This vaccine clinic is our way of showing gratitude and appreciation for that dedication.”
In addition, the City is vaccinating roughly 800 vulnerable older adults at seven affordable housing buildings across Seattle. Affordable housing partners this week include: Seattle Housing Authority (SHA), South East Effective Development (SEED), the Four Freedoms House of Seattle/Sanford, and the Pike Place Market Foundation in partnership with the Pike Market Senior Center and Pike Place Market PDA. The City will also vaccinate around 300 Filipino elders through a pop-up vaccination clinic with IDIC Filipino Senior & Family Services.
The Pike Place Market’s vaccine distribution also included senior artists, flower farmers and workers, as well as Pike Market Child Care and Preschool workers who just became eligible for vaccines.
“Our priority was to bring the Mobile Vaccine Team into the Market to deliver vaccines directly to the high-risk senior population who lives and accesses our vital services in the Market,” said Jeannie Falls, Executive Director of the Pike Market Senior Center. “Many of our senior residents and senior center members have mobility issues with no access to the internet or transportation to get to vaccination sites around the area.” Less than 1% of the 400 senior residents in the Market had received a vaccine before today’s vaccine event.
“We mark on March 6 a full year since IDIC sadly closed its doors. We are very thankful to be designated as a vaccination site to help the community. The 300 elderly and their families who have registered for the vaccine are full of gratitude for this much-awaited shield against COVID-19. Thank you again, to the City of Seattle Office of Emergency Management, Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs, and the Seattle Fire Department,” Sluggo Rigor, Executive Director of IDIC.
Since launching its vaccination effort on January 14, the City of Seattle has administered 12,700 vaccinations to eligible Seattleites. The City has provided 10,453 vulnerable Seattleites the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 2,247 Seattleites the second dose of the vaccine. These vaccinations have occurred at 86 Adult Family Homes, 46 affordable housing buildings with seniors, eight pop-ups, and the city’s two community hubs. The city Roughly 70 percent of those vaccinated by the City identify as BIPOC communities.
For more information, visit the City’s vaccination website at www.seattle.gov/vaccine. The site contains vaccination information in seven languages, and in-language assistance is also available over the phone.
Even as more residents get vaccinated, public health measures like social distancing, wearing a mask, and washing your hands remain critical. Please continue to follow all public health guidance, and visit this website from Public Health – Seattle & King County for more information.
