For about 20 years, Barb Harvey, RN, has been providing potent shots in the arm for members of the Lancaster community to protect them from preventable diseases-and the first shot, before any vaccine, is always trust and information.
Harvey is the lead clinical nurse for the Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health ChildProtect vaccination program, which provides free vaccinations for uninsured children across Lancaster County-usually at the remote, rural community hubs where people naturally gather.
Since the program's inception in 1991 in response to an outbreak of rubella (German measles), ChildProtect has vaccinated about 80,000 children against preventable disease.
Each clinic location is different-a representation of the diverse communities found within Lancaster County. Some clinics, like the one in New Holland, PA, mostly serve Amish and Mennonite groups (collectively known as the Plain community), and others serve recent immigrants from a predominantly a Spanish-speaking population.
