Community Groups Call On City To Open More Mass Vaccination Sites In Underserved Neighborhoods
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A coalition of community groups is calling on the city to open more COVID-19 vaccination sites in Chicago's under-served neighborhoods.
The group says it will introduce an ordinance to the City Council soon, outlining its demands.
FEMA opened the mass vaccination site at the United Center on the West Side earlier this month.
It's been packed ever since, but The People's Response Team, a coalition of community groups, said the United Center mass vaccination site is serving a disproportionate number of white neighborhoods, not the Black and Brown communities hit hardest by the virus.
Co-founder Paul Siegel described what their proposed ordinance will call for.
"Prioritizing those communities, we're going to set up accessible, walk-up friendly, easy-to-get-to sites in the communities for people to be vaccinated; and also to get contact tracing, and testing, and education," he said.
The group said the sites should be located in easily accessible public spaces; including schools, park district fieldhouses, and polling places.
They also want the Chicago Public Schools to keep all high schools closed until September and used in the meantime as community vaccination centers. CPS earlier this week announced it has set April 19 as its "target date" to reopen high schools for in-person learning.