New Haven Partners With Nonprofit To Encourage Public To Get COVID19 Vaccine

New Haven leaders, the fire department along with URU The Right to Be, Inc. are partnering together to help get the word out about the importance of getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

It's a part of the 'URU The Right To Be' COVID-19 prevention campaign, 'Our Humanity' in New Haven.

The program is also a part of a nationwide initiative to provide COVID-19 prevention information and risk education to Indigenous, Black, and Hispanic communities.

"Don't get it twisted, go get a vaccine as soon as possible," said Crystal R. Emery, CEO of URU The Right To Be, Inc. "This partnership with the fire department and city is a great opportunity to create pipelines of information to the public.

Emery established the nonprofit 26 years ago with a goal of spreading accurate facts to the public to create a more equitable society. The organization's latest venture is to help cut down on vaccine hesitancy.

"It is vitally important that we educate folks about getting this vaccine and being a part of the recourse of changing the dynamic of what's happening in our community," said Pastor Darrell Brooks, of Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church.

Different organizations tell NBC Connecticut getting the right information out to communities of color is still a primary goal, as the state and city take steps to bridge the vaccine distribution gap.

"There is a large number of people who have died by COVID-19, so there's a lot of misinformation about the vaccine," said John Lugo, Director of Latinos United In Action. "It's important for us as members of the community to go there and start educating and working together with everybody."

Moving forward, both directors and city leaders believe partnerships and pop-up clinics designed for communities of color are the best way to get more shots into arms.

"We are reaching out to the community, underscoring the science but most importantly underscoring what is ethical," said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.