Portland, OR.  Bank of America is offering additional support for Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center’s vaccination efforts. A $150,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation will be used by the nonprofit to support infrastructure designed to better reach Oregon’s Hispanic-Latino populations, which have been among those hardest hit by the pandemic. Virginia Garcia offers health care at 17 locations across Washington and Yamhill counties. The grant is part of Bank of America’s ongoing efforts to support the equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccines in Oregon and Southwest Washington,

Here’s a link with information on getting the vaccine.

As families look to get vaccinated before going back to school Virginia Garcia will continue to host ongoing vaccination events across Washington and Yamhill counties, providing both first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at key locations such as school-based health centers and high schools.

As of July 26, 45.7 percent of the Hispanic-Latino population is vaccinated, according to state data.

“Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center relies on partnerships like the one with Bank of America to ensure vulnerable communities continue to have access to high-quality care – even during a pandemic,” said Stefanny Caballero, Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation Interim Executive Director. “The investments into our community as well as the PPE donations they have provided have helped increase our ability to serve our Latino/a/x communities.”

This is the second grant the bank has awarded Virginia Garcia since the onset of the pandemic. In 2020, Bank of America awarded the nonprofit $100,000 to help it scale mobile coronavirus testing capabilities to prevent the spread of the disease. The bank’s partnership has also helped Virginia Garcia improve its distribution of language and culture-specific information about the virus to Hispanic-Latino communities.

“The historic, systemic challenges communities of color face have been compounded and accelerated by the pandemic,” said Roger Hinshaw, president, Bank of America Oregon and Southwest Washington. “We have a role to play in helping communities move forward. By directing philanthropic capital and resources to our local nonprofit organizations, we are helping address the most pressing needs while working to mitigate some of the disproportionate economic and health risks these communities face.”

In communities across the country, Bank of America also worked with local partners to provide resources — namely, personal protective equipment (PPE) in the form of face masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer — to vulnerable and underserved communities hardest hit by the coronavirus. In Oregon and Southwest Washington, the company supplied 255,000 masks to local partners serving those in need.

The latest local recipients of the bank’s PPE distribution efforts include Central City Concern, the Albany School District and the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla. The bank’s PPE donations build upon $2.7 million in funding distributed in Oregon and Southwest Washington last year as part of the bank’s local coronavirus relief and economic mobility efforts.

“Even though we are on the cusp of widespread vaccination, community partners continue to play a critical role in the face of ongoing uncertainty,” says Juliana Lukasik, Director of Public Affairs, Central City Concern. “As we work to help those experiencing homelessness and in need of our assistance, Bank of America has been an instrumental partner in our continued efforts. Being named as their Neighborhood Builder was a big boost for us. And their donation of critical PPE has allowed CCC to continue safely providing our counseling, housing and other support services at a time of unprecedented need.”

Thus far, Bank of America has donated more than 25 million masks, 160,000 eight-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer, and 4 million gloves to underserved communities across the country. These local investments are part of Bank of America’s $100 million global effort to address coronavirus-related challenges in local communities and are connected to its nationwide $1.25 billion, five-year commitment to address racial equality and economic opportunity.

From Virginia Garcia:

Virginia Garcia serves more than 47,000 people in the community each year. We have 18 clinics providing care in two counties. There are more than 60 languages spoken at the clinics and our more than 600 employees work every day to provide high quality, culturally-appropriate care to our patients.

We work hard every day to provide this kind of care, but we couldn’t do it without the support of our generous donors. Want to get involved but don’t know how? Check out our Friends of Virginia Garcia and Corporate and Community pages for more information.

From Bank of America:

At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. For more information on how the bank is supporting employees, clients and communities during this time, see latest updates here.

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