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JUDY WOODRUFF: President Biden set
a goal of 70 percent of Americans

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to have their first
COVID-19 vaccine by July 4.

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To get there, states and cities have to
be creative in their vaccine distribution.

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As Gabriel Kramer from PBS station
ideastream in Cleveland reports,

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small local businesses like
barbershops are stepping up to help.

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GABRIEL KRAMER:

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Barbershops are, of course,
known for haircuts, beard trims,
and some friendly verbal jabs.

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MAN: You guys got lucky with that.

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GABRIEL KRAMER: But twice this
month, Urban Kutz Barbershop
on Cleveland's West Side was

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also a place to get another kind
of jab,with a needle. They're
offering the COVID-19 vaccine.

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WAVERLY WILLIS, Owner, Urban Kutz
Barbershop: We are a trusted entity

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in the community. They know
Urban Kutz. They know me.

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GABRIEL KRAMER: Waverly Willis is
the owner of Urban Kutz. He has a

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history of going the extra
mile for his customers,

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free haircuts for the homeless
and free blood pressure screenings
for any patron, mostly men.

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WAVERLY WILLIS: Two or three
of the gentleman who left here
earlier, they told me that I

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was the reason that they got the vaccine.
And that makes me feel good to know that,

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essentially, I guess they feel like
they're trusting me with their lives.

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GABRIEL KRAMER: So, when the
Cleveland Department of Public Health
sought to recruit businesses to

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distribute the vaccine, it's
no wonder that Urban Kutz was
the first business to opt in.

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Shan Smith did not get a haircut
last weekend. He just came to
the barbershop to get his shot.

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SHAN SMITH, Vaccine Recipient:
I thought about not getting
the shot at all, honestly.

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When I saw that this
gentleman here was willing to

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make this available in his
facility to the public, at the
very least, I could support him,

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while helping others at the same
time. It's all about community anyway.

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GABRIEL KRAMER:

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Barbershops aren't the only
out-of-the-ordinary locations
offering COVID-19 vaccines.

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In Cleveland's Slavic
Village neighborhood,

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the Third Federal Savings And Loan turned
its parking lot into a drive-through

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and walk-up vaccination site. One
of the first in line was Third
Federal employee Tiffany Watson.

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TIFFANY WATSON, Vaccine Recipient:
That's why I came, because I
didn't want to have to figure out,

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when am I going downtown,how I
have to park or where am I going,

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how do I call to get it? So, I figured,
while I'm working, I can just go.

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GABRIEL KRAMER: The convenience was
intentional, but not just for employees.

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Anyone was welcome to get shots, which
were given by MetroHealth Hospital staff.

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DR. BROOK WATTS, MetroHealth Hospital:
People work. People have all different

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life situations and different
kinds of barriers. So, again,

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I think the idea is we need to try
all kinds of new things, pull down

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those barriers and just make sure
that folks can make choices that
they feel comfortable making.

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GABRIEL KRAMER: Over at the
barbershop, the goals were the
same, make the vaccine easier to get

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and provide a comfortable place to get it.

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WAVERLY WILLIS: I'm going to
continue to use Urban Kutz as a
vehicle to help our community out.

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GABRIEL KRAMER: For the "PBS NewsHour,"
I'm Gabriel Kramer in Cleveland.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: Such a great
idea, creative, and it
takes everybody pitching in.