From tiny corner store in York, shop owner brings vaccination clinic to neighbors in need

After losing family members due to COVID-19, the owner of a York bodega is helping her community get access to the vaccine by partnering with Latino Connection and Family First Health.

As the pandemic has dragged on, Rosy Gortis has grown increasingly concerned about encountering customers in the close confines of Rivas Deli Grocery II. The corner store at South Pine and East Princess streets sells everything from lottery tickets and chips to canned vegetables and milk.

The small walkway to get around the whole store can be filled in seconds if there are more than 10 people inside at once and that can be a problem for those unvaccinated or unmasked.

Gortis worries that the people in her community are not vaccinated or do not trust the vaccine so she reached out to George Fernandez, CEO of Latino Connections to encourage her neighbors.

 "Getting the vaccine will help not only you but the person next to you, your mother, your father, your friend, so don't be afraid," Gortis pleaded.

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Using a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Latino Connection has helped set up mobile clinics to offer free vaccines in overlooked communities and provide service to those without access.

"The owners were constantly calling us to say that they aren't meeting people who are vaccinated," Fernandez said, "We take that type of feedback from bodega owners, we understand that businesses need to be open in order for jobs, in order for people to have a living."

One man near the shop Monday said he is against the vaccine because of the bad history in healthcare when it comes to minorities.

"I didn't forget about those experiments that they used Black people for," Derek Johnson, 55, said. "I don't feel like being a guinea pig."

Meanwhile, another resident did receive the vaccine and has complied with mask mandates.

"I have kids," Robert Alvarez, 36 said, "If it means protecting them, then it's worth it."

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CEO of Family First Health, Jenny Englerth, said that her team has provided nearly 12,000 vaccine doses.

"We continue to focus on testing, and vaccines are accessible to every member of our community," Englerth said. "We do that in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, with Gov. (Tom) Wolf's leadership and direction, and additional community partners like Latino Connections who provide us with support."

In fact, Wolf visited the Elm neighborhood Monday morning to promote the local vaccine clinic.

He stepped inside the small store and spoke with Gortisand her husband for a few minutes before stepping outside to say a few words about the importance of being vaccinated. He noted that he received his vaccination from Family First Health earlier this year.

“Getting vaccinated is our way out of the pandemic," Wolf said. "My administration will continue to work with trusted community partners to make vaccines easily accessible for the people who need them."

Vaccinations will be offered on Thursday, Sept. 23, from noon to 4 p.m. in front of Rivas Deli Grocery II on South Pine Street.