Salinas, CA: D’Arrigo California was approved as the first site for mass vaccinations for agriculture workers in Monterey County. D’Arrigo California in partnership with the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) and Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas (CSVS), hosted a one-day, drive-thru vaccination clinic for Monterey County residents ages 65 and over who are at risk of exposure while working in agriculture, per Monterey County’s most recent eligibility criteria.
The clinic took place at D’Arrigo California’s headquarters, located at 21777 Harris Road in Salinas, CA on Thursday, February 25, 2021. D’Arrigo California coordinated all the logistics at their headquarters in Salinas, for the one-day vaccination clinic. The company invested in power outlets, portable restrooms and personnel to manage inbound and outbound vaccination traffic for the drive-thru clinic.
Approximately 300 essential agricultural workers from 42 produce companies from throughout Monterey County received the Moderna vaccine. D’Arrigo California has been approved to host a second vaccination clinic at their headquarters in Salinas on Thursday, March 25, 2021 for agricultural workers.
“We collaborated with key health and agricultural industry stakeholders to host the first mass vaccination site for agricultural workers in Monterey County. Our goal was to provide meaningful, strategic and prevention-oriented actions to protect the health and safety of our industry’s agricultural workers,” stated John D’Arrigo, President, CEO and Chairman of the Board, D’Arrigo California.
As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas received the supply of vaccines designated for food and agricultural workers directly from the federal government.
“It is truly an honor to be entrusted to receive and to manage such a valuable resource as this vaccine. When future generations of Americans look back at this moment of our history, we can all smile proudly knowing that all people came together in the Salinas Valley in a concerted effort guided by medical and public health strategies to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 among our people,” according to Dr. Max Cuevas, MD, CEO, Clinica De Salud Del Valle De Salinas.
“CSVS and GSA began working on a vaccination distribution system as soon as we learned about their potential availability,” says Christopher Valadez, GSA President. “We knew it was crucial to have an effective and efficient appointment-based program in place before harvesting began in the spring to protect these essential workers.” Valadez said this collaboration with CSVS was built upon a partnership created in June 2020 which provides increased access to COVID-19 testing for farm workers with expedited results.
