Community leaders can help residents get COVID vaccinations

People in line for a vaccination at the Inova Center for Personalized Health.

The Fairfax Federation of Citizens Associations is encouraging neighborhood and HOA leaders to reach out to residents who might need help getting COVID-19 vaccinations. 

In the email to members, Fairfax Federation President William Barfield says community associations are in a good position to provide “neighbor-to-neighbor help to those who may be struggling to get vaccination appointments because of technical challenges or because they have limited transportation to vaccination sites.”

“Fairfax County has done an outstanding job in developing and implementing its COVID-19 vaccination program. It also has undertaken extensive information efforts on how to participate,” Barfield says. “Yet, many county residents unfortunately still remain uninformed or may struggle to negotiate this process.” 

The Fairfax Federation hopes to fill that gap by launching the Neighborhood COVID Navigators program. That initiative calls for Federation members to appoint a navigator who can inform residents about county resources, help individuals register for vaccinations, and make sure they show up for their appointments by arranging rides for them. 

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The Federation also sent a flyer to members that can be distributed to residents or incorporated into newsletters. 

The flyer, titled “Let’s Kick COVID Out of Our Neighborhoods,” lists the Fairfax County Health Department Call Center phone number (703-324-7404); the email address for questions ([email protected]), the link to register for a vaccination, and the phone number to request transportation to a vaccination appointment (703-324-7404).