Lambertville Hall, a towering, 19th century church that found new life as a performing arts center in the pre-pandemic world, took on a new role this spring: hosting pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinics for low-income residents in Lambertville, N.J. With assistance from city officials and nonprofits, Penn Medicine Princeton Health operated the clinics.
Directly across the Delaware River from New Hope, PA, Lambertville is a lively community known for its restaurants, cafés, and antique shops. The city and its environs are also home to many low-income families and immigrants who primarily speak Spanish. According to Debbie Millar, RN, director of Community Wellness and Engagement at Princeton Health, those individuals might be hesitant to get a shot at one of New Jersey’s vaccine mega-sites, but they would feel comfortable going through people they knew and trusted in the community. “COVID-19 is the greatest public health crisis we have experienced,” Millar said. “Vaccinating as many people as possible is a crucial step, and community-based clinics make it much easier for people to get the shot.”
Millar and Craig Harley, associate director of Community Wellness and Engagement, partnered with multiple city officials and organizations to get the two days of clinics up and running. The clinics offered a mix of the two-dose Moderna and the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The city and Princeton Health provided interpreters. More than 200 people were vaccinated over the two days.