LOS ANGELES — Educators at Catholic schools across Los Angeles received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, March 8, at a clinic hosted by Loyola Marymount University in partnership with the Los Angeles Archdiocese’s Department of Catholic Schools.
The clinic, a three-day closed POD (point of dispensing site), prioritizes teachers and personnel at Catholic schools serving low-income communities significantly impacted by COVID-19. On its first day in operation within Burns Recreation Center, which welcomed a steady stream of educators throughout the morning, the LMU Vaccine Clinic was expected to administer 85 of the 400 Moderna doses allocated to the Department of Catholic Schools by the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
“LMU’s mission calls upon us to serve and lead, especially in times of need,” said LMU President Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D. “We stand in solidarity and partnership with the nation’s largest archdiocese as we provide a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for their school teachers and personnel. Together as educators, we will defeat this virus and lead the recovery and rebuilding of our communities,” Snyder said.
Schools participating in the vaccination POD include Mother of Sorrows (Los Angeles), Our Lady of Loretto (Los Angeles), Our Lady of Victory (Compton), Precious Blood (Westlake), Saints Peter and Paul (Wilmington), St. Aloysius (Huntington Park), St. Columbkille (South Los Angeles), St. Eugene (Inglewood), St. Frances X. Cabrini (South Los Angeles), St. John Chrysostom (Inglewood), St. Lawrence Brindisi (Watts) and St. Vincent (Los Angeles).
“The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles serve the communities hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles,” said Paul Escala, senior director and superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese.
“We are grateful to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and Loyola Marymount University for partnering with us to ensure that the life-saving vaccine is accessible to our teachers, principals and school staff,” he added. “After nearly a year of distance learning, this effort represents a significant milestone in this crisis and will provide a great level of confidence for our students, families and staff as we resume in-person instruction.”
Those receiving their first vaccine doses at LMU will be registered and scheduled to return for a second one.
