LOCAL GROCER OFFERS POP-UP VACCINATION CLINIC IN JACKSON COUNTY [https://www.fema.gov/press-release/4499/20210507/local-grocer-offers-pop-vaccination-clinic-jackson-county] Release Date: May 6, 2021 BOTHELL, WASH. – In March when COVID-19 vaccines first became available to Jackson County’s grocery store employees, Bob Ames, General Manager of Sherm’s Thurnderbird Markets, wanted to offer his 600 employees a convenient option to get inoculated as quickly as possible. Ames brought vaccinators directly to three of the Southern Oregon grocery chain’s stores. Ames was surprised when only 50-60 employees took advantage of the in-store vaccination clinic. Ames found that the primary reason for vaccine hesitancy among his employees was “it hasn’t been tested long enough,” and “Oregonians don’t like being told what they should do.” “Even though you’d like them all to take the vaccine, I don’t believe in telling people they have to take it,” said Ames, who has been with Sherm’s Markets for 40 years. However, Ames felt that many employees were taking a “wait and see” approach to the vaccine and wanted to do more to turn the crisis around in his community. When an Oregon Health Authority official reached out in late April with the option to provide a pop-up vaccination clinic at his Food 4 Less store in Medford, Ames jumped at the opportunity. Since then, a mobile vaccination unit has been operating from Sherm’s Food 4 Less parking lot providing convenient vaccines to the store's employees and customers. The unit provides surplus vaccines from Jackson County Vaccination Equity Center at the Expo that would otherwise go unused. This month, Sherm’s Food 4 Less, located at 2230 Biddle Rd, Medford, OR 97504, will host the mobile vaccination unit twice. The two open vaccination opportunities are scheduled 21 days apart so individuals who receive their first dose there can return to the same location for their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine: * Friday, May 7 from 3 to 6 p.m. * Friday, May 28 from 3 to 6 p.m. The vaccines are free, and no appointment is needed. No ID or insurance is required. The Pfizer vaccines are available for to anyone 16 years of age or older. “A lot of people come to our store, like 4,000 visits a day,” said Ames. “I think we’re gonna get a lot of people vaccinated.”   ### Follow FEMA Region 10 on Twitter [https://twitter.com/femaregion10], LinkedIn [http://www.linkedin.com/company/fema-region-10], and our COVID-19 photo and video library [https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZvZGwn1NGnDExnhD6] for the latest updates, or visit our vaccine support page [https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/vaccine-support] for more information. FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.