March 10, 2021: Guests at The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center receive one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccination.

It’s been one year since our country shut down due to COVID-19. Since then, our staff has continued to advocate and fight for our Guests to have access to the same resources other citizens have access to acquiring. First, COVID-19 testing options, and now, COVID-19 Vaccination opportunities. Our staff continue to prioritize our Guests, access to services they need, to collaborate with members of the Dallas Shelter Response System and with the City of Dallas to ensure resources needed by our Guests are easily accessible.

Our staff has also prioritized educating and communicating knowledge to our Guests throughout the year. Many Town Halls were facilitated to educate our Guests about COVID-19, testing, and now the vaccination. Two days before access to the Johnson & Johnson vaccination was made available, Parkland Hospital HOMES employees participated in a Town Hall for Guests to address vaccine hesitancy. Guests were educated on all aspects of the vaccination and empowered to ask any question they had. Guests were encouraged to express how they were feeling about the vaccination and were provided information to help guide their decision making.

Today, 93 of our Guests received the Johnson & Johnson vaccination. 93 Guests are feeling a sense of relief from the fear of COVID-19.

It is important to us that Guests make the decision themselves to be vaccinated. Therefore, vaccinations are not required for Guests to be on our campus. Masks, social-distancing, hand washing, and temperature taking and other social distancing and spread reduction activities are all still required on our campus at this time.

Thank you to our wonderful staff and partners for their advocacy and compassion, making today’s event possible and a huge success with our Guests!