JRS Australia Recognised at NSW Humanitarian Awards 2022
05 July 2022
JRS Australia is proud to have been nominated by the Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) and the Refugee Council of Australia as part of the NSW Humanitarian Awards.
JRS Australia in partnership with Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD), has been awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the category of Best Project for our COVID-19 vaccination outreach work.
In 2021 and early 2022, JRS Australia and WSLHD ran a series of COVID-19 outreach vaccination clinics focusing on people seeking asylum and other temporary migrants in vulnerable situations.
The implementation of outreach vaccination clinics ensured that people seeking asylum and other temporary visa holders could access vaccines regardless of visa status. JRS Australia and WSLHD were able to run clinics in a safe and familiar place, with the use of interpreters, thus facilitating access to vaccines for people who would have struggled to access mainstream hubs or even a GP.
JRS Australia and WSLHD were able to run three sets of first and second dose clinics with a further series of booster clinics. Overall, 330 people received vaccinations that would otherwise have experienced barriers to access, or may have been concerned about capacity access.
The clinics were supported by a team of JRS Australia volunteers, the Diocese of Parramatta through the use of St Patrick’s Cathedral Hall, and the City of Parramatta Council who provided staff to assist with COVID-19 check-ins and registration during the strictest stay-at-home period.
The project complemented the JRS Australia’s range of services and supports for people seeking asylum and other temporary visa holders, including casework support, emergency relief, employment support, community education and social activities.
Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) is a leader in clinical services, research and education providing a diverse range of public healthcare to more than 946,000 residents in Sydney’s west as well as services to those outside the catchment from specialty statewide centres of expertise.
JRS Australia is honoured to stand alongside the individuals and organisations who continue to do outstanding work to support refugees and people seeking asylum.
