SHAUN HALL/Daily Courier

Pablo Barrientos (right) checks out a bandage placed over one of his tattoos where he got his second shot of COVID-19 vaccine Monday from Dr. Tamara Powell (left) outside Casa Amiga Mexican Restaurant in Grants Pass. Barrientos, who works at the restaurant, said he had no side effects.

By Shaun Hall of the Daily Courier

Well after 5 p.m. Monday, Dr. Tamara Powell was still at the office — or what has been her office at that time of day most Mondays since April 26 — outside the front entrance to Casa Amiga Mexican restaurant in Grants Pass.

Powell was there for about an hour as part of her effort to reach out to the sometimes-hard-to-reach local Hispanic community, offering COVID-19 vaccinations, with the help of restaurant owner Jose Palomino and his family.

"It's about getting healthy," Palomino said as his employee, Pablo Barrientos, 22, lifted up a shirt sleeve to expose a tattooed arm to get his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

"No reactions," Barrientos said afterward, explaining he experienced no side effects from the vaccine.

Members of the Hispanic community have been relatively hesitant to get vaccinated, according to Powell and the Oregon Health Authority.

Barrientos, one of three people to get their shots Monday, all second doses, spoke limited English. When needed, Palomino interpreted.

As the needle went in, he gave a thumbs up.

Powell knows only a little Spanish, but that hasn't stopped her from reaching out to Hispanics in a setting that is maybe more comfortable than a doctor's office. Her best day at the restaurant was 12 patients, on Memorial Day. On May 3, she gave 10 shots.

"I think it's going to save lives," Powell said, describing outreach efforts. "Not everybody's going to come to a conventional doctor's office to get a vaccine."

The vaccine is free, with no ID required. Pharmacies and several medical providers offer it.

Palomino said he believes many Hispanics are distrustful of the vaccination process, but that he will continue to encourage them to get vaccinated, as he has done himself.

"The Hispanic community is stubborn," he said, estimating that 80% of people he speaks with aren't vaccinated. "They're hard to deal with. It's so difficult and so hard."

Many Hispanic migrant workers come to the area to help with harvests, including the local cannabis harvest. They come from surrounding states and, according to Palomino, they often come unaware about what to expect about COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the

coronavirus.

"They had not been informed," he said.

Powell said she wants to go where it's convenient for people, and when it's convenient for them, including weekends. She's been to a factory, a church and the Boatnik festival to reach out.

"I was a little nervous, but it was perfectly fine," she said of the festival.

In trying to reach out to Hispanics, Powell hoped — rightly so — that Palomino would act as a liaison with the Hispanic community. If he recommended it, she surmised, maybe others would follow, and they have. She even made fliers to distribute. Word of mouth helps, Palomino said.

Powell has known the family for years. It includes Palomino's wife, Lilia, and their daughter, Maria.

"They make the best chicken fajitas," Powell said.

The challenge ahead with Hispanics includes a cultural barrier, a language barrier and a distrust of government, according to Palomino.

"I can feel the fear," he said. "They don't want to answer questions."

So, what does he tell others?

"Get it done," he said. "So we can all move along."

And Powell is helping to do just that.

"She cares for the community," he said. "Combined, we can get it done."

However, there have been frustrations, like the time she had to throw away several doses of vaccine when it expired, for lack of patients. That came at a time when the world was crying for vaccine, as often remains the case.

"It was devastating," Palomino said. "Tears. That really hit us hard."

He said he had no solution for the problem of people not getting vaccinated.

"Keep trying," Powell said.

She's willing to take suggestions on where people might recommend she go to reach others.

As for what's being accomplished by Powell, Palomino said each person who is vaccinated is a victory, and potentially a life saved.

"She makes a difference," he said. "That's her contribution."

As Powell tended to vaccinations at a small table outside the restaurant's entrance, Palomino spoke loud enough for her to hear.

"Dr. Powell was kind and smart and brave," he said, looking her way. "You're doing a great job."

Powell is working in cooperation with Josephine County Public Health, whose health officer, Dr. David Candelaria, said relatively fewer Hispanics, minorities and migrant workers get vaccinated. The fact that Powell returns to the restaurant is a sound approach, he said.

"I was struck by how clever it was," he said of her strategy. "Pick a place where people go. That regularity does a lot toward our effort and says a lot about her."

Like Powell and Palomino, Candelaria urged people to get vaccinated, saying that the sooner they do, the sooner government restrictions will be lifted, and the safer people will be, including young people. He recently worked a weekend shift at Asante Ashland Community Hospital, where seven COVID-19 patients were staying, including three people under age 40.

"These people who are making their private health decisions probably didn't think they would be in the hospital for 20 days, missing work, making a significant impact on their families, their employer and their co-workers," he said.

Powell said she probably won't be at the restaurant next Monday, but expects to be there the following two Mondays. The restaurant, which is closed Mondays when vaccines are given out front, is at 200 McDonald Lane, in the Redwood area.