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Filipino American Society of Iowa breaking down barriers to help minorities get vaccinated

The group is organizing a vaccine clinic Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the New Hope United Methodist Church in Des Moines.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders face barriers when it comes to getting the COVID-19 vaccine, as do many other minorities. 

That's why the Filipino American Society of Iowa is hosting a free vaccine clinic in Des Moines this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the New Hope United Methodist Church.

According to FAS, language is probably the biggest barrier for minorities accessing vaccine appointments. That's why they're bringing in interpreters for at least five different languages to help at the clinic. 

Otherwise, organizers Luisita Thompson and Larry McBurney told Local 5 there's a different barrier to break. 

"I think with the social climate that we have right now, we have a lot of groups within the AAPI community that don't want to go into social settings with people [who] aren't similar to them," McBurney said. 

"We want them to take advantage of this free opportunity, and again, our main target is to reach out to the special population: Asian communities, Asian American, Pacific Islanders, immigrants and refugees, low income, non-English speakers, " said Thompson. "I mean, minority groups. We're here to help." 

The clinic will have 310 doses to administer on Saturday. Appointments can be made by clicking/tapping this link

While vaccinating the AAPI community is the goal, the clinic is open to the general public. 

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