By Joyce M. Davis, SUSUMC Conference Lay Leader, PA UM Advocacy Coordinator
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is launching an intensive state-wide campaign to try to fight COVID-19, save lives and get more people vaccinated. And the office is seeking faith leaders and community organizations to help encourage people to get vaccinated throughout the state.
Secretary of Health Alison Beam is even touting a new grant program to provide financial assistance to organizations – including churches – that will assist in this program aimed at saving lives from COVID-19.
The Department of Health is using its new LIVE PA Grants, which will open the week of Aug. 9, 2021, to invite local, grassroots organizations, as well as faith-based organizations, to apply for grants that will be administered through the United Way of Pennsylvania. The aim is to reach as many people as possible, especially in rural and minority communities and to use trusted voices to help promote COVID vaccinations.
Information is available local United Way chapters or the United Way of Pennsylvania at uwp.org.
The agency also has started an aggressive ad campaign to get out factual information about COVID-19 and about the vaccines. And it seems the campaign is working. Vaccinations are significantly increasing, with thousands more people getting vaccinated daily in Pennsylvania. The advertising campaign is directing people to the PA Unites Against COVID webpage where they can find information to learn about how to prevent COVID and get vaccinated: www.pa.gov/covid/
And, information about where to get vaccinated is now available on-line at www.vaccines.gov/search/
In addition, the Pennsylvania Council of Churches has launched a “Get Vaccinated” campaign urging faith leaders to tape short videos that are being distributed widely through social media sites. Here is a link to a story about the campaign that PennLive published last week:
Kudos to the Pennsylvania Council of Churches for its “Get Vaccinated!” campaign | PennLive Editorial
And here is a link to the Pennsylvania Council of Churches’ YouTube page with the videos.
Rev. Sandy Strauss, advocacy director of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, is eager to get more faith leaders to add their voices to those encouraging people to get vaccinated. If you’d like to provide a video, email Rev. Straus at s.strauss@pachurches.org; or feel free to email me at jdavis@susumc.org for assistance.
Health officials are particularly eager to reach young people who have not been vaccinated, and they are reminding people who are vaccinated that they can still carry the virus to vulnerable, unvaccinated people. They are warning hospitals throughout the country are filling up with COVID-19 patients who have contracted the Delta strain. And doctors say this time the patients are younger and frequently sicker.
The Department of Health says more than 90 percent of people being hospitalized from the Delta strain are unvaccinated.
They are imploring pastors and lay leaders join the effort to save lives and to provide factual information from reliable sources to their congregations.
