COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) continues to look for ways to partner with the community in order to make vaccines more available.
Today, during their weekly meeting briefings, the health agency explained why it’s critical for everyone to work together.
"It's essential to rely on our community partners and to get closer to our communities," DHEC's Senior Deputy for Public Health Nick Davidson said.
Davidson said some of those partners are churches, community centers, and Boys & Girls Clubs.
“You name it, if there’s a place for people to gather safely," Davidson said.
And people like Anita Gladman said if it wasn’t for community partnerships, she wouldn’t have been able to receive her vaccine so quickly. She got her Johnson & Johnson vaccine at Reid Chapel AME Church.
“It’s a blessing that I can park my car and walk up and get this done I’m so grateful," Gladman said.
And now that she is vaccinated, she looks forward to what the future holds.
"It’s been quite difficult but sometimes it’s a blessing and a curse, but the blessing is we’ve come together. I haven’t seen this many people since march of last year," Gladman said.
And she said she can’t wait to see people smile again.
“The thing that really gets me is you never see a smile anymore, nobody smiles, you can’t see it," Gladman said.
Even though DHEC didn’t play a role in this vaccine clinic, Davidson said they do participate with churches regularly.
DHEC said in order to partner with different community organizations, finding a provider to handle the vaccines is the key to holding vaccination events.