Robert Kraft & Mass General Hospital Team Up To Create Mobile COVID Services Program For Vulnerable Communities
CHELSEA (CBS) - As more people become eligible for COVID-19 vaccine, the more challenging it is becoming for people in underserved communities to gain access to it.
"It's been a really hard year for everyone, especially for our most vulnerable communities," said Dr. Pryia Sarin Gupta of Mass General Hospital.
But thanks to Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Gupta says help has come quietly to some of the hardest-hit areas. Kraft, along with Mass General Hospital, established The Kraft Center Mass General Brigham Mobile COVID Services program, providing COVID testing and vaccinations to the most vulnerable patients and communities.
"We were able to take our mobile team to a low-income housing development and did some vaccinations using the Moderna vaccine," said Gupta.
For the past 16 weeks, the Kraft Center MGB COVID van has providing much-needed vaccine services to five hotspot areas, including Lynn, Revere, Charlestown, Everett, and Chelsea.
"We have chosen these communities based on them being hotspots early on in the pandemic," said Dr. Gupta.
Partnering with community food pantries and the housing authority, they are going outside the brick-and-mortar hospitals and health centers and meeting people where they live.
"We are incredibly fortunate, not just to Mass General Brigham, but especially to the Kraft family and the Kraft Center for being able to have the forward and innovate thinking of allowing us to try out new approaches to increase access to care for under-served populations," said Dr. Elsie Taveras, Executive Director of The Kraft Center for Community Health.
They hope to expand these mobile services and continue to reach out to the community until there is no longer in need.