Morgan Hill, CA—The County of Santa Clara, the United Farm Workers, Monterey Mushrooms, and the UFW Foundation launched a mobile vaccination clinic for 1,000 farm workers. Vaccinations  will take place on Sunday, February 28th and Wednesday, March 3rd at the Monterey Mushrooms facility in Morgan Hill. Workers receiving vaccinations include employees of Monterey Mushrooms as well as other area farms. The partnership could serve as a model for collaboration in other regions of the state.

The vaccine supply and clinic staffing for the mobile clinic will be provided by the County of Santa Clara; facility, support services, and worker outreach will be provided by Monterey Mushrooms, United Farm Workers, and UFW Foundation.

“Protecting people at greatest risk from COVID-19 is our top priority and our path out of the pandemic,” said Dr. Sara Cody, Health Officer and Director of Public Health for the County of Santa Clara. “We are grateful to our partners at United Farm Workers, UFW Foundation, and Monterey Mushrooms for supporting the County’s mobile vaccination teams. Combined with our community-based vaccine clinics, mass vaccination sites, and many outreach efforts, mobile clinics will help get COVID vaccines to communities most impacted by the pandemic as rapidly and effectively as possible.”

“These workers are doing the most fundamental work in our country, but have been incredibly vulnerable to COVID-19," said United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero "Our collaboration with both the County and a motivated employer shows that community vaccination programs must be a team effort."

“These vaccination events at our farm in Morgan Hill are the direct result of hours of interaction and collaboration between our groups for a common goal, the health and welfare of farm workers essential to food production in our county, state and country,” said Shah Kazemi, CEO of Monterey Mushrooms. “We are very pleased to see this come to fruition.”

“Farm workers face heightened threats to their health and safety every day as essential laborers," said UFW Foundation Executive Director Diana Tellefson Torres. "That's why this partnership to provide life-saving vaccines for 1,000 farm workers is so critically important. Farm workers want to get vaccinated, but the majority of them don't have access to the vaccines. In fact, a recent UFW Foundation survey of 10,149 agricultural workers found that 73 percent expressed willingness to get vaccinated, with a further 22 percent neutral. Other counties in California must also step up to provide vaccination events that meet workers where they're at."

 “Our County is laser-focused on equity in our vaccine rollout, and we are taking every step necessary to ensure that these vaccines are available to our community right where they live and work in order to eliminate barriers,” said Mike Wasserman, President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. “This collaboration between the County, labor partners, and a major employer to reach workers who are on the frontlines every day to put food on our tables is a model for similar efforts statewide.”

“I want to thank the County of Santa Clara for working with the United Farm Workers to come to Monterey Mushrooms in Morgan Hill to get our farm workers vaccinated,” said Morgan Hill Mayor Rich Constantine. “Our County has vaccinated hundreds of thousands, protecting our community members. Please stay vigilant and hopeful.”

More information about the vaccination event can be found in the press kit.