JC Seneca Foundation and G-Health Enterprises Sponsor COVID Vaccination Pop-up
April 7th vaccine distribution to be held at Tallchief Territory Home of Native Pride Travel Plaza
Irving, NY March 30, 2021 — Advancing their collaboration to bring healthcare and medical services to Native territories and surrounding communities, Seneca Nation businessman, J.C. Seneca, and President of Buffalo’s G-Health Enterprises, Dr. Raul Vazquez, M.D. F.A.A.F.P., will hold a COVID vaccination pop-up on Wednesday, April 7th 10am to 3pm at Seneca’s Native Pride Travel Plaza on the Tallchief Territory. Seneca noted details of the event including vaccine eligibility and registration information.
“We are grateful to Dr. Vazquez for providing 400 Johnson & Johnson one-shot COVID vaccines for our first Native Pride Travel Plaza pop-up,” Seneca stated. “ Vaccines will be available to all Seneca Nation residents from Allegany and Cattaraugus Territories, as well as residents from surrounding communities, 18 years of age and older. We encourage people who want to be vaccinated at this pop-up to go to the G-Health website to sign up and schedule a time (http://UrbanFamilyPractice.com). For those unable to register online, they can call (716.427.9378 or 716.445.1663) to sign up receive their time slot. If someone is unable to register online or by phone, they can sign up at Native Pride on the day of the pop-up, April 7th, between 7:30am-9:30am.”
Dr. Vazquez has administered a number of pop-up vaccine sites in the City of Buffalo. This is his first in a rural area where he notes, statistically, fewer people, especially minorities, have access to the life-saving shots.
“We know that due to issues of supply, access, and the logistics of such events, people in rural areas are struggling to get vaccinated,” Vazquez stated. “That’s why J.C. and I are working together to produce this Native Pride pop-up on the Tallchief Territory. The important thing is to get this news out to the people of the Cattaraugus and Allegany Territories, as well as those in the surrounding communities, to ensure that all 400 vaccines will be distributed.”
Earlier this month, Seneca and Dr. Vazquez partnered in an educational “Table Talk” COVID vaccine forum at the Tallchief Diner at Native Pride. The event connected the two men with a group of Native women and men in age ranges from twenties through their eighties who have already been vaccinated and those not intending to get the vaccine. The informational talk was videoed with film clips now available for viewing on the Tallchief Territory, Home of Native Pride website: nativepride.com
The April 7th pop-up is a continuation of a partnership between Seneca and Dr. Vazquez that began with a February vaccination clinic in collaboration with Buffalo’s Native American Community Services. The two men’s plan is to provide rural health care in the tri-county (Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany) regions, beginning with additional vaccine pop-ups this spring, a health fair in the summer, and eventual expansion to primary health care and mental/behavioral health services.
Information about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine can be found at: https://bit.ly/3rtiZUh
ABOUT THE JC SENECA FOUNDATION The JC Seneca Foundation (JCSF) is a non-profit corporation whose mission is to advance healthy living in body, mind, and spirit for the people of the Seneca Nation and surrounding communities. The foundation accomplishes these purposes through a variety of means including supporting the activities of other charitable organizations and conducting fundraising events. The foundation also sponsors programs such as It Takes A Tribe, a foster care project. http://www.jcsenecafoundation.org/