Monkeypox Vaccines: St. John’s to Continue Outreach at DTLA Pride 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, August 24 2022

Contact: Cabot Petoia, clpetoia@gmail.com, 828-899-9239

** To book an interview, contact clpetoia@gmail.com **

Los Angeles —  Today, St. John’s Community Health announced they are partnering with John Wesley Health Centers, Kedran Health Center, and Mens Health Foundation to administer monkeypox (MPV) vaccines at DTLA Pride this weekend. They will have 3,000 vaccines available at a pop-up vaccine clinic, and hope to use them all – especially given LA County’s updated eligibility guidance. St. John’s is putting up flyers, running social media ads, and sending out text blasts to help get the word out.

To date, St. John’s Community Health has administered over 2,000 monkeypox (MPV) vaccines in Los Angeles.

Of vaccines administered:

  • 61 percent have gone to those with Medi-Cal;
  • 58 percent have gone to Latinx patients;
  • 16 percent have gone to Black patients;
  • And 8 percent have gone to Asian patients.

In addition to pop-up events, St. John’s is continuing to offer vaccines weekly at the following locations:

  • Fridays: Avalon and Rolland Curtis clinics
  • Mondays & Tuesdays: Compton College
  • Wednesday: Crenshaw and Mendez Health Center (Boyle Heights)
  • Thursday – Saturday: Lincoln Heights Health Center

St. John’s has also ordered 5,000 doses of the COVID-19 subvariant booster shot, and are getting their systems ready to administer them when they arrive. They’ve been administering about 100 COVID-19 vaccines per day, and are seeing a high percentage of young children getting their shot for the first time.

“Since MPV is still primarily impacting the LGBTQ+ community for now, we remain focused on reaching those within that community who face the largest barriers to health care – namely, Latinx and Black people and low income folks,” said Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John’s Community Health. “However, we must continue to emphasize that this virus does not only impact LGBTQ+ people. As we continue to vaccinate those affected at the moment, there must be comprehensive strategies from local, state, and federal governments to educate the general public around prevention, and encourage them to get vaccinated when they’re eligible.”