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Reaching the people of Small South Texas towns…

UIW vaccine clinic brings awareness; resources help community understand COVID-19

A better understanding of the coronavirus and a stronger grip on a family’s health and wellbeing have become a necessity in the post-pandemic world.
It is true of dense urban areas as well as of the rural communities of South Texas, where general health education, coronavirus awareness and potentially life-saving measures have not reached all those most in need.
For Kennedie Martinez and her collegiate peers, it has become a humanitarian mission.
Students from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio will travel to Dilley on Monday, June 13, in their mobile clinic to offer free coronavirus vaccines to all in the community.
The event also includes a variety of health screening offers, all free of charge, which the medical interns and staff will conduct in close collaboration with South Texas Rural Health, Inc., the rural healthcare provider with facilities across the region.
The mobile unit will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the Mary Harper Middle School (the former high school) on FM 117.
According to Martinez, a student at UIW, the project not only helps serve a need and begins to fulfill the essential healthcare needs of the community in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic but also enriches the outreach goals of the university, many of whose students come from small towns in South Texas.
“This is part of a year-long student-led effort,” Martinez said in a telephone interview. “Student interns from the university and their faculty advisors have been working since May 2021 to bring awareness about the coronavirus, COVID-19 vaccinations and general wellness to rural communities.”
The project has now expanded into further wellness offerings with partners such as South Texas Rural Health, the Texas Department of State Health Services, and Texas A&M University Health.
Martinez said a part of the outreach effort involves bringing healthcare advice and resources to those with limited English proficiency, and by working in partnership with local schools, students and staff at the mobile unit will share information in English and Spanish.
To date, the group has worked with schools in Natalia, Dilley and Pearsall in its outreach efforts, and the June 13 clinic in the school parking lot is the next link in that chain, Martinez said.
It is the second free COVID-19 vaccination day for the UIW students and their mobile clinic in Dilley.
The students involved in the program find value in their communication with church groups, schools, members of the public of all ages, and in visiting the towns along their route. To many, the effort has been more rewarding than they expected.
“The outreach events have showed me that we do not go out there to simply change
someone’s mind, but to listen and hear about their experiences,” Martinez said. She added that she and her peers look forward to engaging community members in conversation about the coronavirus and addressing some of the public’s fears and sometimes misconceptions about the disease.
“We are providing the community with the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 and vaccinations,” Martinez said.
On this visit, the students will also host a farmer’s market and collect donations of arts and crafts that will be dispatched to churches in Uvalde for the benefit of children working to recover from the trauma of the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.
Student Rosemary Ornalez believes one-on-one conversation between medical interns and the general public helps bridge the gap in an understanding of the coronavirus.
“Those who wanted more information were invited to talk with us directly or via our team,” Ornalez said.
Being born and raised in a small South Texas town has served the students well in their outreach efforts, as they find a connection with the people they meet at their clinics.
“I am from Natalia, so I witnessed and experienced how hard it was to find and receive
the COVID-19 vaccine,” student Tori Wootan said. “When given the opportunity, I knew I had to act to get the best resource for my hometown.”
Operating a mobile health clinic and bringing relief to those who need it the most, as well as offering support at times when many in a small community feel left out or under-served has had a deep impact on the students, not least Christopher Garcia, who admitted that he believes his outlook on life has been forever changed through the program.
“My participation in this program has had a huge impact on me,” he said. “I discovered another side of Christopher Garcia, and personally, I feel like a better person.”