A one-day vaccination center at the Betances Houses in the Bronx gave 130 residents a COVID-19
shot.
The pop-up center in Mott Haven was part of Bronx Rising's campaign to vaccinate 15,000 seniors in
the borough in just eight weeks. Tomas Ramos, the founder, says they've already gotten to 3,000
residents since the end of January.
"A lot of the seniors cannot
register online, don't have access to technology,” he says. “By calling them
and knocking on their doors and getting them to come down is the most efficient
way.”
The nonprofit has been around for a year and has
already raised $2.3 million for vaccinations alone.
“It's been an exciting time for us to be able to
come into community and really get these seniors vaccinated so they can
go back to their everyday lives," Ramos says.
Bronx Rising partnered with
Catholic Charities of New York who helped get the word out to vaccine skeptics.
"We are happy to educate
people about why this is important and why people should not be
afraid," says Paola Martinez, of Catholic Charities.
Wavecrest Management Company, which oversees the
complex's operations, also joined in to make sure residents didn't have to
travel far to get protected.
Susan Camerata, who is with the company says, “They
can feel comfortable that they're doing it here near their homes."