Neighbor 2 Neighbor helps seniors register for vaccines
Feb. 27—CUTHBERT — The Randolph County Democratic Committee and RN Joyce Barlow announced today a program to assist Randolph County seniors in signing up for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The project is led by Barlow and former Cuthbert Superintendent of Schools Bobby Jenkins, chair of the Randolph County Democratic Committee. A team has been recruited, trained and went into the field on Monday to assist seniors in Randolph County to register for COVID-19 vaccinations.
This grassroots effort is the first of its kind in Georgia in using strategies for door-to-door canvassing based on a program called Neighbor 2 Neighbor. Ten volunteer canvassers have each been given lists of seniors in district "turfs" throughout the county. The canvassers, wearing masks, approach the seniors at their doors, provide them masks for safety and interview them to ascertain whether they have registered with the Georgia Department of Public Health for a COVID vaccination and offer to assist with that registration.
If the senior citizen is interested, the canvasser will use an app on her/his phone to take that person's information (name, age, phone number, etc.) and enter it directly into the GDPH database. That data entry will then trigger a call from the GDPH to the senior citizen to give her/him an appointment for their vaccination. The canvassers' training includes a range of information about the vaccines including safety, efficacy, need for two vaccinations, etc. The canvassers are local residents who have had experience in Neighbor 2 Neighbor "deep canvassing." The program is nonpartisan, multiracial, locally based and will expand to other counties depending on availability of volunteers.
"Randolph County seniors are in danger of being left behind in the state's efforts to vaccinate the public," Jenkins said. "Most of our seniors are in the highest risk categories for contracting COVID-19's most severe symptoms. The Randolph County Democratic Party Committee and other community partners are supporting the Georgia Department of Public Health by helping residents register for the COVID-19 vaccine."
Added Barlow: "There is nothing as reassuring to seniors, especially those in remote parts of the community, as having a neighbor come to their door to offer help. The Neighbor 2 Neighbor style of canvassing is how we take care of our own in southwest Georgia."
