For Immediate Release: July 19, 2021 

Shreveport, LA –Louisiana’s vaccination is still lagging behind other states in the nation. Despite a slow start, people continue to get vaccinated due to increased understanding of the vaccine in communities, increased access to the vaccine, and now a shot at a million dollars. 

Power Coalition, the Louisiana Department of Health, and other partners have been knocking on doors, texting our communities, and calling people across Louisiana since April to get people vaccinated. The Bring Back Louisiana campaign is ensuring that people know that they are eligible for the vaccine, where they can get it, and answer any questions about the vaccine. 

“There is still hesitancy in the community about vaccines but we have found that having conversations with people, listening to their concerns, and building trust are ways that we are breaking through and getting more people vaccinated,” says Power Coalition for Equity and Justice organizer Candice Battiste. 

Vaccinations are increasingly important as the delta strain of the COVID-19 virus is now the dominant strain in Louisiana. This strain is more contagious although the vaccines remain highly effective against all known circulating strains of the coronavirus. 

Cases and deaths from COVID-19 are rising in Louisiana due to the delta strain, but the vaccine can curb this trend. Since January, about 99 percent of deaths from COVID-19 in Louisiana were unvaccinated people demonstrating that vaccines work. 

Canvassers will continue reaching out to communities with lower vaccination rates until the state reaches everyone who is interested in the vaccine. Getting vaccinated protects you and your community, and now it also gives you a shot at a million dollars in Louisiana. 

To make an appointment or find a location to get vaccinated call 211.

The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice works to build voice and power in traditionally ignored communities. We are a coalition of groups from across Louisiana whose mission is to organize in impacted communities, educate and turn out voters, and fight for policies that create a more equitable and just system in Louisiana.

Who: Power Coalition for Equity and Justice

What: Power Coalition canvassers and volunteers engage communities in Bring Back Louisiana campaign.

Contacts: 

Ashley Shelton, President, Founder, CEO of Power Coalition, (225) 802- 2435, ashelton@powercoalition.org

Candice Battiste, Northern Organizer, Power Coalition, (318) 230 – 2345