SAN DIEGO, CA – Sycuan Casino Resort recently hosted a free and voluntary vaccination event for all Sycuan team members. The vaccines were offered to all team members that work at the casino, tribal departments and Singing Hills Golf Resort. Approximately 560 team members participated in the event and received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on March 20 and will receive the second dose in the coming weeks. Going forward, any team member that is interested in receiving the vaccination will be able to book an appointment through the Sycuan Medical Dental Center.
“Providing free on-site vaccines is another critical step we’ve taken to protect the health and safety of all of our team members,” said Cody J. Martinez, Chairman, Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. “This past year has been unprecedented and very difficult for many of us. It is very important that we continue to do everything we can to ensure that our team members feel safe, comfortable and confident every time they come into work. We hope this provides relief to our team that we are moving in the right direction and will hopefully regain some sense of normalcy in the coming months.”
The Indian Health Service (IHS) has worked closely with Sycuan to provide more than 2,140 Pfizer and 2,000 Moderna vaccines for use on the tribal reservation. Over the past several weeks, Sycuan has allocated the vaccines by priority group based on recommendations by the CDC. During the initial rollout, Sycuan administered vaccines to the those in the highest risk category which included tribal elders and members, Sycuan Tribal Police Department, Sycuan Fire Department, EMTs, security officers, medical and dental staff and Sycuan Education Department teachers and staff.
Additionally, Sycuan has already administered approximately 552 Pfizer and 528 Moderna vaccines to a variety of other groups including tribal members from Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, approximately 40 teachers from the Alpine Union School District, approximately 20 teachers from the Dehesa School District and approximately 550 teachers from Cajon Valley School District.
Sycuan also continues to partner with other tribal governments to help get vaccines to their reservations and tribal members.