
Major national veteran service organizations are joining forces to help distribute coronavirus vaccines across the country.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Team Rubicon, Student Veterans of America, Wounded Warrior Project, The Mission Continues and Team Red, White & Blue formed the "Veterans Coalition for Vaccination," the groups announced Thursday, with the goal of "ensuring each American who wants the vaccine has equitable access to it."
While vaccine supplies have been limited so far, the coalition hopes that its nationwide network of volunteers can help "support vaccination requests from major cities to rural communities" that may be facing strains on medical systems and resources including medical staff as they battle the pandemic.
The coalition plans to provide volunteers to help with vaccine distribution and "reduce the demands on healthcare workers," including with site setup for vaccination clinics, logistics support, volunteer healthcare workers to supplement staff and actually administering the vaccine where appropriate.
"Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is honored to team up with Team Rubicon and our other coalition partners in this important vaccination distribution effort," IAVA CEO, Jeremy Butler said in a statement Thursday. "In continuing our pandemic response and the fight against COVID-19, IAVA looks forward to providing volunteer opportunities for our members, raising awareness and ultimately ensuring all Americans have access to vaccines."
The coalition is also partnering with an advertising company that has already launched public service announcement campaigns aimed at combating "misinformation about the spread of COVID-19" and now will produce campaigns "ensuring credible information about vaccine efficacy is delivered across the United States."
To volunteer: https://helpout.teamrubiconusa.org/calendar.
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Reach Abbie Bennett: abbie@connectingvets.com or @AbbieRBennett.
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