Community Medical Centers, in partnership with other local organizations, has announced that 75 AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP volunteers will be placed in its health centers to deliver COVID vaccines to the most at-risk groups in San Joaquin County. The partnership includes the Reinvent Stockton Foundation, HealthForce Partners, and the Stockton Strong COVID-19 Response coalition. The volunteers will conduct community outreach, recruit additional volunteers, and organize vaccine events. AmeriCorps, which announced the program on Oct. 7, is a federal agency that promotes volunteering and service.
“Community Medical Centers is excited to welcome the AmeriCorps Seniors, who we know will bolster our efforts to administer the COVID vaccine to as many San Joaquin County residents as we can,” CEO Christine Noguera said. “These volunteers will be key allies in our ongoing work to bring health equity to communities throughout our county.”
Atalaya Sergi, the director of AmeriCorps Seniors, said, “Older Americans serve to help address challenges they see in their communities. Their service, knowledge and lived experience is critical to community-based organizations being able to operate and reach all those in need, which right now is more important than ever.”
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by Congress in March, is funding the AmeriCorps Seniors program.
“AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers have played a critical role in helping our country respond to and recover from COVID-19,” said Karen Dahl, Senior Advisor for COVID-19. “The historic funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act is enabling AmeriCorps to work with our community partners to do even more to help address significant needs that have worsened as a result of the pandemic.”
The new program builds on an already robust infrastructure for national service in Stockton. More than 650 AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors have served at 100 sites throughout San Joaquin County in the past year through an existing $4.1 million existing federal investment from the agency.
“HealthForce Partners is excited to support Community Medical Centers, a key partner, in their COVID-19 vaccination efforts with the recruitment of AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP volunteers,” HealthForce Partners Executive Director Christina Bastida-Gonzalez said. “The volunteers, deeply rooted within our community, can help bring equitable access to the vaccine and resources to our residents.”
Community Medical Centers is a network of neighborhood health centers serving over 100,000 patients in San Joaquin, Solano and Yolo counties. To learn more about CMC, visit cmcenters.org.
