An interview with Neema Yangi and Jhoselyn (Jossie) de la Garza from The Rosewood Initiative: Adapting and Serving the Rosewood Community During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This blog post is by Ari O’Donovan, Boost’s diversity program manager. It is part of our “Stronger Together Oregon” blog series that focuses on communities of color in Oregon.

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of interviewing Neema Yangi and Jhoselyn (Jossie) de la Garza from the Rosewood Initiative (TRI) in Portland. I learned about their roles at the community center, services offered there, and how TRI has adapted while providing services to Rosewood communities during the pandemic. Neema Yangi is a Health Equity Coordinator and the Nepali Speaking Community Organizer at TRI. Jhoselyn (Jossie) de la Garza is TRI’s Communications Director.  

The Rosewood Initiative is a nonprofit community based organization that has been implementing neighbor-led strategies since 2009. Their community center, Rosewood, provides space for people to gather, connect to resources, celebrate and work on projects that improve their lives and the community.

What do you do at The Rosewood Initiative (TRI)?

Neema – I am the Health Equity Coordinator and the Nepali Speaking Community Organizer. As the Health Equity Coordinator, I am take the lead on our weekly vaccine clinics happening here at Rosewood as well as our quarterly health fair. As a community organizer I work with the Nepali speaking community living in the Rosewood neighborhood. I help build a relationship with the community while making sure they have access to resources. 

What is your background and professional path?

Neema – I was born and grew up in a small village in Northern Nepal. We didn’t really have access to hospitals or healthcare. So, when you needed care, you had to travel a very long distance into the city to have access to care. I remember walking for three days and taking a plane to get to the city. Just having first-hand experience of that is one reason why I am passionate about access to healthcare. Even here, in the U.S., there are many barriers to quality healthcare like language and cultural barriers. So, I became qualified as a healthcare interpreter so that I could bridge that gap between community members and access to care. I play the role of language and cultural liaison. I make sure people who have low English proficiency can receive quality care. I advocate for their health and access to resources. I am passionate about health equity. In the future, I see myself working in the fields of public health or medicine, making sure marginalized communities have access to quality care. 

How have things changed at TRI during the COVID-19 pandemic?  

Jossie – Before the pandemic, we had a community center that was open to all community members Monday through Friday. We had computers and different programs with our partners. We knew the Rosewood community would be one of the hardest hit communities with COVID, so we had to close our doors. We needed to get creative about how we could still serve the community and be a support system. At that point, we were able to grow meaningful relationships in a different way. We started a community organizer model where we had Nepali, Latinx, African American, and other speakers to connect with participants. These speakers would talk to community members and find out what COVID-19 supplies they needed, connect them to programs, translate employment services to quality for unemployment, and fill out applications to avoid eviction among other services. We are still meeting the needs of community members during the pandemic in these ways and more.  

What COVID-19 related projects or outreach are underway at TRI? 

Neema – We have our weekly vaccine clinics where we provide the Pfizer vaccine. We also provide wrap-around services to community members who have been impacted by COVID-19. We are working on creating language specific COVID-19 resources and collaborating with Boost Oregon as part of our Conversation Circles. We want to answer questions from community members about COVID-19 vaccines to encourage vaccine confidence among our communities. We have community health fairs and quarterly health fairs with a variety of resources for community members. 

Can you give some additional information about your vaccine clinics?  

Neema – We have vaccine clinics at TRI every Saturday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. The vaccine administered is from Pfizer. There are medical professionals present at each event. We were one of the first organizations to host regular vaccine clinics. We worked with Multnomah County and Providence to ensure community members had access to the vaccine at standing clinics each week and there were no barriers to access. We had our first clinic in March. We have had about 28 clinics so far providing 3,900 total vaccines. 

Jossie – Multnomah County is providing gift cards to say thank you and incentivize getting vaccinated. The county wants to reduce financial barriers for those who need to miss work or experience other financial hardships associated with coming to get vaccinated at a clinic. The first dose is worth a $100 gift card. If you get your second dose, you get a $50 gift card. If you are vaccinated and you bring someone to get their first dose, you get a $50 gift card and that person gets a $100 gift card. This is all on a first come, first served basis, but Multnomah County has not been running out of gift cards. If you go to another location to get vaccinated that isn’t one of our clinics, you can still get a gift card. 

What are some of your favorite TRI services and resources you provide to community members? 

Neema – Our English classes, which are at full capacity now and are delivered via Zoom. Our teachers are all volunteers. Our health fairs are really helpful as well. 

Jossie – Our vaccine clinics. I have seen the amount of access it has created on site. People no longer have to travel so far to receive a vaccine. It has made such a great impact. People get really excited, and they remember oh yeah, you can go to The Rosewood clinic on Saturdays. I think the clinics occurring regularly will encourage a quicker end to the pandemic, getting back to seeing people more, and doing things in-person. 

Is there anything you want vaccine-hesitant community members to know about COVID-19 vaccines? 

Neema – We would highly encourage everyone to get the vaccine to protect our families and communities. There are many clinics throughout Portland that have vaccines available. I know there is some hesitancy towards the vaccine along with misinformation. I encourage people to do their own research. If you need information or language specific resources, please reach out to us for help or Boost Oregon. We have weekly COVID-19 vaccine clinics.

Jossie – If people do have questions please contact us. Don’t feel pressure to get a vaccine immediately at one of our clinics. We work with Multnomah County, Providence, and Outside In. We can connect community members to professionals who can answer questions. Our phone number is 503-208-2562. We want people to make informed decisions, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. 

Learn more about The Rosewood Initiative, follow them on social media, and contact them for more information about services offered and upcoming events.