Rev. William Shaw, pastor of White Rock Baptist Church in West Philadelphia, at Saturday’s mass COVID vaccine clinic.

A mass COVID-19 vaccine clinic was held this past Saturday at the Church of Christian Compassion in West Philadelphia where 500 clergy and parishioners from the local faith community received the first dose of the vaccine. The clinic was organized by Penn Medicine and Mercy Catholic Medical Center – Mercy Philadelphia Campus, who have partnered with a coalition of religious and community leaders from Southwest Philadelphia.

The event was the first of three planned vaccination events in partnership with the local faith community.

Mercy Catholic Medical Center in Philadelphia, which is located at 54th and Cedar, is partnering with Penn Medicine and the local faith community to “bring vaccination opportunities directly to our West Philadelphia neighbors,” according to president Chris Cullom. 

Individuals who received shots at the clinic are all in the Phase 1b priority group outlined by the City of Philadelphia’s vaccination guidelines. They will return to the same site to receive their second vaccination in four weeks. Registration for the clinic was in advance via a Penn Medicine text-based platform or phone call. Participating religious organizations provided information about that process to their own members.

“We want to get COVID-19 vaccines to especially hard-hit areas of our city to ensure protection for the residents who need it most,” said P.J. Brennan, MD, chief medical officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. “By partnering with West Philadelphia faith leaders whose organizations have such strong foundations in the neighborhoods they serve, we hope to join forces to build trust and provide resources to keep as many people as possible safe from the virus.”

(Photos courtesy of Mercy Catholic Medical Center)