Hundreds receive vaccine at Sheffield Center, Duggan sees community access key

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Hundreds lined up to receive the COVID 19 vaccine at the  Detroit Association of Black Organizations at the Sheffield Center held on Thursdays, today. Mayor Mike Duggan was on hand for a tour inside 

"What Rev. (Horace) Sheffield has done here, is taken trust in the institution of this community and reach out to them in a way the government could not do," Duggan said. "It is very impressive. I am going to have my team come out to see what he has done because clearly, he is succeeding."

Sheffield's organization partners with non-profits like United Way to make the vaccination site possible. He says he uses social media and an email system to reach out to the community. 

"I called Meijer and was on their waitlist," said Julia Weinberg. "Finally a friend gave me the inside scoop that this place was giving away vaccines. We were lucky to get an appointment."

"This is serious," Sheffield said. "I had Covid last March. I just lost a church member and buried more people than I ever had, in my ministry."

Duggan said the response to government-organized vaccination sites has seen a decrease in foot traffic. 

"Everybody I know of has more in the stockpile than they are using and that is the reality across the country," Duggan said. "I do think you are going to see this shift from government-run to community-run. And I think this is a model for the future."

Rev. Horace Sheffield/ Activist, Detroit Association of Black Organizations

The mayor was so pleased by what Sheffield is doing he's making changes to keep people going through these doors.

"We had 50 people show up at one of the walk-in sites yesterday," Duggan said. "Rev Sheffield has 400 people here. I just said to him, you are going to get two days a week. If he can get 400 two days a week, we are going to give him three days a week."