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The Easter Bunny made an early stop at Erie Family Health Centers this week to drop off a surprise delivery of wooden Easter Eggs sent from the White House. When the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancelation of the 2021 White House Easter Egg Roll, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden chose to send the eggs to twenty community health organizations across the country. Erie has been working on the front lines of the pandemic to care for residents in Chicago’s underserved communities who have been hardest hit by the pandemic.

“We are honored to receive this surprise from the White House. The eggs have brought great joy to our staff and patients amidst a very difficult year,” said Dr. Lee Francis, Erie President and CEO. “Erie is grateful for President Biden’s recognition of the unique role that Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) play in ensuring COVID-19 vaccines reach the most valuable members of our communities.”

Erie was chosen as one of the first 250 FQHCs to receive vaccine stock directly from the federal government as part of the Biden Administration’s Community Health Center Vaccination Program. With the help of these vaccines, Erie has thus far administered nearly 25,000 vaccinations to patients, community members, and healthcare workers. Erie is expanding these efforts with a series of vaccination fairs serving residents of Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood being held in partnership with Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Public Health’s Protect Chicago Plus program, Northwestern Medicine and Catholic Charities.

On Saturday April 3, 10 and 17, all residents of Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood age 18 and over are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at vaccination fairs taking place at a Catholic Charities warehouse at 4500 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago.

Appointments are required, and may be scheduled at: erie.health/protectchicago. In addition to critical protection from COVID-19, many of today's fair attendees left with another special gift to celebrate this holiday: a White House Easter Egg.

President Biden’s support of community health centers like Erie does not stop with the vaccine distribution program. Funding made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act is transformational for FQHCs and community health centers like Erie. It will allow Erie, for example, to expand and enhance the high-quality, comprehensive healthcare services it provides to more than 80,000 patients regardless of insurance status, immigration status or the ability to pay, and help support Erie’s work to train the next generation of primary health care providers in community health.