Take a shot at protecting your health

July 17, 2024
Health

The Minneapolis Health Department is increasing vaccines and reducing vaccine hesitancy.

Sebastiana Cervantes has a passion for helping others. As a Senior Public Health Specialist at the Minneapolis Health Department, she is part of the team responsible for the City’s vaccination program. In her 9 years at the department, she’s seen firsthand how community members living in marginalized areas lack the same access to healthcare as those in other parts of the city.

 ‘’I do this work because of my own personal history. I feel like it is my responsibility to uplift my community and other communities who have been disenfranchised. With privilege comes responsibility,’’ said Cervantes.

Serving the underserved

Growing up in a Hispanic community, Sebastiana saw the impact of health disparities on underserved areas. This personal experience drives her passion to educate others on the importance of vaccines and increasing clinic access to areas that need it most. 

She says her background is crucial for understanding how to communicate and navigate through the difficulties of getting vaccines into specific areas of the city.

“Fostering trust and having honest conversations is crucial when trying to reach communities with vaccine hesitation,’’ said Cervantes. ‘’We do a lot of social media, cultural radio shows, along with going around Minneapolis putting up flyers with bilingual languages to better reach our audience.’’

Outreach success

After the pandemic, the Health Department adjusted to meeting the community where they live. In recent years, the Health Department has significantly increased the number of clinics and free vaccines provided to the community, with a majority being in diverse communities.

  • 2022: 41 clinics, 1,217 COVID-19 vaccinations
  • 2023: 52 clinics, 1,049 COVID-19, 239 flu vaccinations and 673 Mpox vaccinations
  • 2024: 21 clinics, 210 COVID-19, 59 flu and 451 Mpox vaccinations as of July 5

Find a vaccine clinic near you

Enroll in the Uninsured and Underinsured Adult Vaccine Program

Hosting a free vaccine clinic

Host a free clinic in your community. Clinics can be added to already planned events or can be separate events.

  • All clinics are walk-in and can be held Monday-Saturday at any time, including evenings.
  • Staffing and vaccines will be provided at no cost.

Vaccines include:

  • COVID-19
  • Flu
  • Mpox
  • MMR
  • Tdap

Contact Sebastiana Cervantes for more information about setting up a clinic

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