HHS Secretary Becerra, CA Surgeon General, Congresswoman Bass Attend St. John’s Vaccine Roundtable
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, November 2 2022
Contact: Cabot Petoia, clpetoia@gmail.com, 828-899-9239
Los Angeles – Yesterday, St. John’s Community Health hosted Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, California Surgeon General Dr. Diana Ramos, and Congresswoman Karen Bass, to tour the health center and engage in a roundtable with patients and providers on COVID, MPX, and flu vaccination efforts and public health insurance enrollment.
“We are honored that Secretary Becerra, Congresswoman Bass, and Surgeon General Dr. Ramos joined us to discuss our successful vaccination effort and hear from the South Los Angeles community about the social conditions affecting their health,” said Jim Mangia, St. John’s President & CEO. “I think all of us — HHS, the Congressmember, the state of California and community providers like St. John’s – are coming together to change the world. We are proud of the operation we built to support the communities of South, Central and East LA through the COVID pandemic, and are grateful for the Secretary’s and Congresswoman’s commitment to the work of community health centers across the country.”
“St. John’s has always been there for the community, and I’m not surprised with the substantial vaccine numbers they’ve accomplished,” stated Secretary Becerra. “As Secretary, I am directing HHS to reach out to the community – we’re not going to wait for folks to come to us, we’re going to go to them. It shows respect, it extends dignity and it saves lives.”
“St. John’s has absolutely changed this part of the world in South LA, with regards to access to healthcare and health improvements,” said Congresswoman Bass. “This was a health desert before St. John’s. The most important part of healthcare is prevention, and people come to St. John’s to stay well not only when they’re sick. That’s what is so critical about what you do.”