La Juquilita has been a part of the Newport community for eight years now. Its owner, Juan Manuel Hernandez Marquez, is proud to be a part of the community and to have the opportunity to support it when it’s confronted with difficult situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the Olalla Center contacted him to explore the possibility of distributing information about COVID-19 and organizing a vaccine event in his store, Juan was thrilled with the idea of being able to support his community.

“I was one of the people who didn’t want to get vaccinated,” says Juan. “There is a lot of false information out there… but you never know when it’s going to impact you and it could lead to a very bad outcome.”

He thought this was the perfect opportunity to address the community’s questions about the vaccine and help community members make the decision to protect themselves and their families.

Juan told us that for two weeks he shared information about COVID-19 and the vaccines with his community, passed out flyers and invited his clients and friends to the vaccination clinic that would take place in his store’s parking lot.

“Everyone had doubts about the vaccine,” Juan said. For that reason, Juan opted to be the first to get vaccinated during the event, so he could set an example and encourage others to get vaccinated as well.

Juan said he wanted to get vaccinated in order to protect the people close to him and his family.

“We’re partiers in the Latina/o/x community and we all want to be together, more than anything we want to protect each other and protect those we love.”

Juan hopes that his store will continue to be a place where the Latina/o/x community in Newport can receive information and support. You can watch the full interview with Juan below.

Vaccination remains the safest and most effective way for all people in Oregon to get back to doing the things they love. If you are 12 or older, visit OHA’s Find a COVID-19 Vaccine in Oregon webpage to schedule your vaccine appointment today.