This week, monkeypox cases have now topped 1,000 across Texas, with Dallas County’s 348 cases the most of any county in the state.
Dallas County received the equivalent of 25,000 doses of monkeypox vaccines this week.
Abounding Prosperity Inc.’s Hope Health and Wellness Center is hosting a vaccination clinic Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The group works closely with LGBTQ communities of color, making sure that no one falls through the cracks receiving the vaccine.
“We were very much so concerned about vaccine equity,” Abounding Prosperity CEO, Kirk Myers said.
The clinic has already vaccinated more than 250 people and plans to vaccinate between 200 and 300 more people this week.
Abounding Prosperity Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded to respond to social and health disparities affecting communities of color and LGBTQ+ communities in Dallas County. As a community-based clinic, there is a level of trust for the people who visit them.
“People are wiping the sweat off of their brow and I think people are really very anxious and concerned,” Myers said. “People talk about vaccine hesitancy and all those things. We are just not seeing that with monkeypox.”
Abounding Prosperity hopes to offer financial support in the future. For those who contract monkeypox, 21 days of isolation means 21 days without work. And for those who are under-insured, uninsured, or don’t have jobs that allow extended sick days, the financial burden can be crippling.
The nonprofit hopes to soon offer food boxes and monkeypox care kits that include over-the-counter medications like antihistamine lotions that help with the skin issues associated with the virus.
To determine eligibility and to make an appointment to receive the vaccine at Abounding Prosperity Inc.’s HOPE Health and Wellness Center, visit the Monkeypox Vaccine Eligibility Pre-Screener.
