Vaccination and Healthcare

By: Marcelle Kelley '20

The pandemic overshadowed the class of 2020’s graduation. Senior year’s failed landing was lamented, and people sympathized across the nation.

But certain significant aspects of the pandemic still haven’t received any media coverage. One aspect in particular is important to me. I write to inform the Exeter community of the pandemic’s homeless blindspot. I will admit that my awareness of the homeless population’s vaccine inaccessibility is largely anecdotal, and I’m sure it has holes. This is merely what has been imparted to me from several voices of those experiencing homelessness during my encounters doing service work.

I grew up feeding the homeless with my foundation “Heart 4 the Homeless”. Heart 4 the Homeless, in the past, has hosted all-you-can-eat buffets (consisting of food donations) for the homeless of Tampa Bay, in order to foster a sense of community, because homeless individuals are often “othered” by their larger communities. Through an adolescence of doing so, the gaps in health care equity became hard to ignore. I saw untreated illness everywhere. And it always took only a sweep over the crowd to see that it was disproportionately composed of people of color. As an Arab American myself — with obvious opportunities, such as the ability to attend Exeter — this fact was difficult to confront.

Right now, the vaccine may seem largely accessible, but it isn’t. Whether through deliberate avoidance or plain injustice, the homeless population remains undervaccinated.

Through speaking to homeless people that I have gotten to know and through vaccine administration, it has become apparent to me the reasons this is so.

Vaccines are being offered in establishments that are largely unwelcoming to homeless people. I found it a shame that social ostracization of our own community members was also working to negatively impact their health. Plus, vaccine forms often ask for a physical home address, which can discourage homeless individuals from following through with vaccination. And to tell the truth, a lot of homeless people are more concerned with finding a place to sleep at night. With the mindset of being on your own on the streets–and the reality that many homeless and impoverished people truly fend for themselves–it’s hard to start thinking in a “for the benefit of the community” manner.

It’s just as important to warn that a daunting amount of misinformation has spread and challenged many homeless individuals’ perception of the vaccine, causing widespread mistrust in a system that has already failed them. I’ve heard some individuals grumble and even scream about “magnets in the vaccines” and “chips” and all sorts of conspiracies. Many referenced videos on Facebook.

So, because the pandemic was posing obvious issues for the usual gatherings that Heart 4 the Homeless fostered, I had yet another reason to change Heart 4 the Homeless’ approach for some time.

Heart 4 the Homeless had always been all about increasing familiarity by gathering individuals for food, so I figured that food would have to be a central aspect of a vaccination event in order to establish trust. I cold-called like a madwoman. I emailed, and re-emailed, and became the pain that you have to be if you want people to listen. Long story short, I ended up partnering with the Department of Health and Wendy’s to create a national campaign of vaccination events specifically for the undervaccinated homeless population. For each of my vaccination events, the Department of Health now sends me a mobile vaccination booth and medical personnel, while Wendy’s provides me their lot space (because homeless individuals often congregate in their lots). Wendy’s also created a promotion for my cause--a free Frosty for homeless individuals who receive their vaccine.

I’m working to expand this effort now and to bring awareness to the homeless blindspot of vaccination and healthcare, so that others’ efforts can change itt. While an anecdotal perspective has its weaknesses in spreading awareness, I think that sharing that a community-oriented approach to delivering the vaccine has worked in the fight can give others insight into how to get involved. Proximity and community are key.