Providence clinic dedicates Mondays to vaccinating restaurant workers

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — A Providence health clinic is dedicating one day a week to helping restaurant workers get vaccinated.

Clinica Esperanza Hope Clinic on Eagle Street in Providence has vaccinated more than 8,500 people in various Providence ZIP codes already.

As things slow down, they said they wanted to help make it easy for people who work in Providence restaurants get the vaccine, too.

"We call it Moderna Mondays," explained project manager, Marina Carro.

Carro said people who work in a Providence restaurant can go to their Facebook page to sign up for an appointment on Mondays.

"I think a lot of restaurants closed down during COVID and as they start to open back up, it is important to keep everyone safe," explained Carro. "So, once they get the vaccine businesses can really improve, and hopefully we are on the way out of this."

Derrick Walters was among those who got the vaccine on Monday. He said signing up was easy after his friend sent him the link.

Walters said he thinks it's important people who work in the restaurant industry get the vaccine.

"It has been challenging for us. It has been really really difficult to keep staff because people are afraid to come back to work, our clientele are afraid to come into the restaurant and be in contact with other people," said Walters.

Clinica Esperanza Hope Clinic is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in an effort to offer a variety of times for people to get an appointment.

"So, even if they have work all day, if they have to work in the afternoon, we are still open in the morning and we are accommodating them at night as well," said Carro.

People who need help scheduling an appointment can go to the clinic's vaccination site to get help signing up.