Our Stories

Our lives have changed in unexpected ways due to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic’s in March 2020. The new normal consists of masking, social distancing and frequent hand sanitizing. People are hesitant to receive the COVID vaccine due to a lot of misinformation and the fast-paced changes happening with the virus and the scientific community’s understanding of it.

What remains unchanged is the strong sense of service to others in our Latinx community. The Latinx Center of Excellence (LCOE) created the Street Team to provide accurate scientific information about COVID to our community:

Collaborated on bilingual Facebook Live workshops with community-based organizations (CBOs)
Organized a large COVID-testing event in the Fruitvale District of Oakland
Partnered with the San Francisco Department of Public Health to create Comunidad Contra Covid, which implemented contact tracing and case investigation
Expanded our reach to communities across the United States with the COVID Vaccine Speakers Group
Developed and implemented training for newly appointed vaccine-outreach personnel across California to equip them with knowledge and skills to perform vaccine outreach through our Virtual Training Academy
Trained college pre-health students to work with the Community Ambassadors Program which works with communities needing assistance with vaccine information in different languages.

The LCOE is proud to work alongside our community to get educated, trained and vaccinated to help one another stay healthy.
We are in this together!

Latinx Community Education and Vaccinations: Saving Lives, One Vaccine at a Time

These photos are a snapshot of the LCOE’s interactions with the community during the COVID 19 pandemic.

The LCOE team (masked and socially distanced) standing on a school playground in front of a colorful mural wall.

The original Street Team Coordinators, Carlo Juárez Fuentes, Marlena Hartman-Filson, and Giuliana Martinez getting ready to interact with San Francisco communities in the Mission, Excelsior, Bay View, and Western Addition.

LCOE Street Team members at the Mission Hub food-distribution center.

Street team members--Carla Fernandez, Madison Rodriguez and Yoselin G Castillo —ready to provide masks, resource information, and educational materials about COVID to community members waiting in food-distribution lines at the Mission Hub.

A volunteer healthcare worker swabs the nose of a young Latino boy. He is smiling while his mom hugs hugs him and holds his head.

Although children didn't get very sick in the first wave of COVID-19, they could pass the virus on to others. A little boy smiles as his nose gets swabbed for a COVID test. He was very brave since his mother got tested before him.

A volunteer healthcare worker at the Fruitvale COVID Testing Event draws blood from an African American man. His young son hugs him and provide reassurance

In October 2020 the LCOE, along with many community-based organizations, organized a large COVID testing event in the Fruitvale District of Oakland. This little boy is reassuring his father that the COVID antibody blood draw isn’t a big deal.

Screenshot of a Facebook Live Webinar for the United Farm Workers (UFW).

Over 12,000 United Farm Workers (UFW) members have viewed the Facebook Live webinar on COVID-19. Linda Duran (left), UFW Foundation Organizer, partnered with the LCOE director, Alicia Fernandez (center) and LCOE faculty member Raul Gutierrez (right), to provide a Spanish session on COVID education, vaccine safety and keeping yourself and family safe.

Screenshot of an online Facebook Live presentation provided by the LCOE for Community Based Organizations.

The LCOE team partnered with many local community-based organizations to provide COVID information as new data became available. These webinars on Facebook Live and Zoom allowed the LCOE to reach a very diverse group of communities.

Associate Director of the Latinx Center of Excellence, Connie Calderón-Jensen receiving her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine

I want to protect my family, my community, and my friends! We have the opportunity to help each other. Quiero proteger a mi familia, mi comunidad y mi amistades. Tenemos la oportunidad de ayudarnos unos a otros. ¡Juntos podemos! ~ Connie Calderón-Jensen, Associate Director, LCOE

Latina community member, Maria, wearing a mask and getting her COVID-19 vaccine in a clinical setting

Pase un año tan difícil al ver mis hijos encerrados, mi familiares, comunidad y el mundo entero sufrir de tantas maneras y tantas muertes. Tenía tanto miedo de contagiarme y no poder cuidar y ayudar a mis hijos, mi familia, y mis viejitos hermosos. Le rogaba a Dios que saliera la vacuna para el COVID-19 para poder parar con esta pandemia tan destructiva. Comparto a todos la importancia de vacunarse ya que nos protege de enfermedad grave y de la muerte. Esta es la única opción que tenemos para detener esta pandemia; únete a nosotros y vacúnate. ¡Sí se puede!

A Latina woman wearing a mask, stands in front of a gate while showing her proof of vaccination card.

I am now fully vaccinated so I can protect my kids, myself and my family.

Dr. Marlene Martin, from UCSF, sitting in a clinic wearing red scrubs while receiving her COVID vaccine

Me vacuné para proteger a mis queridos, comunidad y pacientes! También para regresar a lo normal y recuperarnos y sanar juntos y mover para adelante. ~ Dr. Marlene Martin, UCSF

Teenage boy tensely looks away and closes his eyes, holds up his vaccine record and receives his COVID-19 vaccine in a community auditorium.

I don't like needles and I don't like shots! My mom needs to be extra protected so I'm getting this shot. Plus my Nonna is old and I don't want anything to happen to her! Thank you. ~ Sebastian Calderon-Jensen

Latino man standing in front of a colorful mural, wearing his mask and proudly showing his vaccination card

You can't tell, but I'm smiling underneath my mask. Proud to do my part and looking forward to a brighter future ahead.

A Latina woman wearing a leopard-print mask, is in a clinic getting her COVID vaccine shot

Tengo un hijo diagnosticado con asma y me preocupa mucho que pueda enfermarse con COVID-19. Cuando la vacuna estuvo disponible para mi, no dudé un segundo en ponérmela. ¡Fue la mejor decisión! Si hay efectos secundarios, pero nada es comparado con la angustia de perder a un ser querido por este virus. Te animo a que tomes este paso y ayudes a nuestra comunidad a salir adelante, hazlo por ti, por mi, y por tantas personas vulnerables que están en riesgo. ¡VACÚNATE POR FAVOR! ~Veronica Cab

Dr. Alicia Fernandez, Director of the Latinx Center of Excellence gives a "thumbs up" as she receives her COVID vaccine.

LCOE Director, Alicia Fernandez, doing her part to stay healthy and keep the community healthy as well.

A Latino man wearing a mask, stands in front of a building, holding his proof of vaccination card

San Francisco proud! Getting vaccinated helps protect the San Francisco community.

Computer screenshot of California state personnel being trained by experts on the COVID virus and vaccine.

The Virtual Training Academy (VTA) hosts a training for English-speaking vaccine outreach workers. These trainings help personnel understand how to talk about the vaccine and answer the community's questions.

Screenshot of a grid containing photos of 13 California state personnel receiving COVID vaccine training from the Virtual Training Academy (VTA).

Virtual Training Academy (VTA) partnership among UCLA, UCSF, California Department of Public Health and UCSF LCOE to train newly appointed vaccine outreach personnel on how to speak to the community about the most recent information about COVID-19 vaccinations.

Four young college students (three females, one male) walk down the street wearing their Community Ambassador Program T-shirts. They are holding papers to distribute to community members.

Our UCSF Community Ambassadors, (left-to-right) Alexa Rivas, Raquel Marquez, Efrain Trujillo and Carolina Quintero, walk down International Boulevard looking for local residents to help with vaccination resources in the Fruitvale district of Oakland, Calif.

Three young female college students, part of our UCSF Community Ambassadors program, walk across the street.

Pre-health students from our UCSF Community Ambassador Program joining a community pop-up vaccine effort in partnership with San Francisco Department of Public Health and UCSF LCOE in San Francisco's Excelsior District.

Comunidad Contra Covid (CCC) gather for a photo in a local SF park. These healthcare workers pose with Drs. Alicia Fernandez and Marlene Martin from UCSF Latinx Center Of Excellence and Thomas Knoble from San Francisco Department of Public Health

UCSF Drs. Alicia Fernández and Marlene Martin gather with partners from SFDPH to say ¡GRACIAS! to the Comunidad Contra Covid (CCC) Promotores for their commitment to keeping our Latinx community informed about COVID and staying healthy. ¡Juntos Podemos!

A group of Promotores (community health workers) make funny faces as they gather in a park to take a photo. They are joined with personnel from San Francisco Department of Public Health and UCSF Latinx Center of Excellence

The Comunidad Contra Covid Promotores having fun with UCSF Faculty leads, Drs. Alicia Fernández, Marlene Martin, and SFDPH lead Thomas Knoble. Celebrating a job well done with certificates of appreciation! Thank you for your commitment to a safe and healthy community. ¡Sí se puede!

Latinx Center of Excellence

Our Stories

The LCOE is proud to work alongside our community to get educated, trained and vaccinated to help one another stay healthy.
We are in this together!

Latinx Community Education and Vaccinations: Saving Lives, One Vaccine at a Time

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Latinx Center of Excellence

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Our Stories

The LCOE is proud to work alongside our community to get educated, trained and vaccinated to help one another stay healthy. We are in this together!

Latinx Community Education and Vaccinations: Saving Lives, One Vaccine at a Time

About Us

Donate

The LCOE is proud to work alongside our community to get educated, trained and vaccinated to help one another stay healthy.
We are in this together!