Hola Carolina Launches Free Ride Program to Help Vaccinate Latinx Community
A new program, Vamos Carolina, has set a goal of providing 25,000 free rides throughout 18 WNC counties to reach out to Hispanic families—with an emphasis on family health and worker safety.
Hola Carolina, a Spanish news resource and collaborative partner that builds connections serving the Latinx community in western North Carolina, has established a new program, called Vamos Carolina, to provide transportation to Covid-19 vaccination locations to families and workers.
The cost-free program is designed to reach those living in Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey counties.
Free Vamos Carolina transportation is also available to families and individuals who need transportation for other health services beyond Covid-19 vaccinations. Hola Carolina community partners are on board to assist with transportation services in each county. Those interested in round-trip transportation to a Covid-19 vaccination—or providers delivering such services—should call (828) 989-5248 or visit holacarolina.org to schedule the service.
The complementary service is supported by the nonprofit Dogwood Health Trust, which was created as part of the deal permitting the sale of the nonprofit Mission Health Systems to for-profit HCA Healthcare. The support from Dogwood has enabled Hola to purchase the van necessary to provide the transportation, though Hola notes that, to reach more people in the region, additional funding will be necessary.
