RESOLVE Launches Faith & Vaccines
First COVID-19 vaccination event held at Islamic Center of Maryland, other sites and faiths to follow
March 30, 2021 /3BL Media/ - RESOLVE announces the launch of Faith & Vaccines, a new initiative which partners with faith-based organizations to support equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to communities that have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Faith & Vaccines hosted its first pop-up COVID-19 vaccination event at the Islamic Center of Maryland in Gaithersburg, Maryland on Sunday, March 28. 101 people were vaccinated at this inaugural event.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had tragic and disproportionately adverse effects on disadvantaged minority communities across the United States. Faith & Vaccines, led by Dr. Tasnuva Khan (Pharm. D.), works with faith-based organizations to improve vaccine access and uptake among underserved communities. The Faith & Vaccines initiative rallies healthcare professionals to provide vaccination services to faith communities and engages local faith-based organizations to host vaccination events and educate community members about the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine.
In Maryland, Faith & Vaccines is working in partnership with the U.S. Army Maryland National Guard’s Vaccine Equity Task Force (VETF) to break down barriers, expand access, and save lives in underserved and hard to reach areas. “Equity matters, so the Task Force strives to ensure that every Marylander knows the facts and we facilitate opportunities such that all Marylanders may receive the vaccine,” said Brigadier General Janeen Birckhead, VETF lead and Assistant Adjutant General for the U.S. Army Maryland National Guard. “Faith-based partnerships like these make a difference and are helping communities that may not have access at larger sites.”
“Our kick off Faith & Vaccines event in Maryland exceeded expectations,” said Dr. Tasnuva Khan, Director of Faith & Vaccines. “This is a testament to the deep levels of trust that the Islamic Center of Maryland has earned with the communities that it serves. I am also grateful for the support of the medical partner for this event, Brookville Pharmacy of Chevy Chase, and the tremendous support and on-going partnership with the Maryland National Guard.”
“On behalf of the Islamic Center of Maryland we are honored to be selected as one of the first vaccination sites to begin immunizing our community,” said Adileh Sharieff, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Islamic Center of Maryland. “I am particularly pleased that, at our first vaccination event, we were able to serve recipients of our on-going community food drives, which target vulnerable people that typically have language and technology barriers, which impede them from accessing public services. I am so grateful for the partnership with the RESOLVE team and with the Maryland National Guard for making this possible.”
Following this first successful pop-up vaccination event, Faith & Vaccines seeks to replicate the initiative with various faith-based organizations in Maryland and in other states across the United States. Religious congregations or community organizations that are interested in co-hosting pop-up vaccination events, are encouraged to contact Dr. Tasnuva Khan at tkhan@resolve.ngo.
About RESOLVE
RESOLVE is a Washington D.C. based non-governmental organization with more than 40 years of experience forging sustainable solutions to critical social, health, and environmental challenges by creating innovative partnerships where they are least likely and most needed. RESOLVE is known for designing innovative projects that create common ground, including several recent COVID-19 response initiatives: Makers Respond, which has put PPE in the hands of first responders; Open Source Medical Supplies, which has helped makers and manufacturers respond to shortages by providing rapid, expert review of open-source PPE designs; and Gear Up to VoteSafe, a non-partisan initiative to support safe voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESOLVE has also partnered with several states to design and facilitate community engagement efforts regarding the allocation of scarce life-sustaining resources and participates in the Working Group on Equity in COVID-19 for the CommuniVax Coalition, which seeks to strengthen community involvement in an equitable COVID-19 vaccination rollout. For more information, visit www.resolve.ngo.
