On November 6, the Asian Pacific Development Center (APDC) collaborated with the Visiting Nurse Association of Colorado (VNA) to hold a flu shot clinic free to the public. The crowd filed in promptly with their families, representing diverse populations from the refugee and immigrant communities as well as the general public. For two hours, the nurses administered over 100 shots, providing essential services to members of the surrounding refugee communities before the flu season reaches full swing.
The orderly atmosphere of the flu shot clinic – the second hosted by APDC – was a far cry from the enthusiastically structured chaos of the wildly successful first clinic on October 17. People came in to APDC headquarters from all over Aurora and East Denver, lining up alongside countrymen from native lands, before being given the shots. During that first clinic, 240 people were administered flu shots, 70 of them children. The severe transportation limitations of the refugee community necessitated using APDC headquarters as a location for the flu shots, while the large community spaces gave the nurses plenty of room to direct and take care of the crowds without bottlenecking.
Nevertheless, APDC still sent out another cadre of clinicians, interpreters and nurses to the elderly Chinese communities of downtown Denver, giving out 33 more shots to those who could not make it in person.
Localized community navigators within APDC worked closely with the nurses from the get-go to facilitate the process in a culturally appropriate manner: from planning the events, translating all flyers, performing the outreach within the communities, to the one-on-one care as patients received their flu shots. APDC is especially dedicated to the follow-up care provided to the patients afterward, including explaining why they need the flu shot and what symptoms to watch out for. This is important to relieve any trepidation towards the shots as well as explain the benefits and necessities of booster shots for the children.
Follow up booster shots are planned for Thur. December 12 from 4 to 5 p.m. at APDC headquarters.
APDC headquarters are on 1537 Alton St, Aurora CO 80010. For more information on APDC and ever-growing services to the community, visit www.apdc.org. Article provided by APDC.
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