Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday a new initiative to help older New Yorkers get the COVID-19 vaccine.

De Blasio and Department for Aging Commissioner Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez said the Community Care Plan is a five-year plan that will provide seniors with universal access to services.

He said the pandemic forced city officials to rethink their approach to helping the city's senior population

"This is a $50 million investment in the people who made New York City great, who gave us life, and gave us the opportunity to do all that we do today," de Blasio said.

The plan includes launching 25 additional senior centers into priority neighborhoods and ensuring there's access to resources such as home care and meal delivery.

They said 125,000 older adults who had lived independently had to raise their hand and say that they needed some help during the pandemic. They said the plan will help those who built our communities to stay in their communities.

"Seniors suffered tremendously during this pandemic, and so many have dealt with social and physical isolation, grief and loss, and physical and mental health issue. So, this community care plan is a powerful step towards healing and recovery for New York's older adults," said Margaret Chin, chair of the City Council's Committee on Aging.

As the city works on reopening senior centers, they encouraged residents to help seniors get the vaccine to accelerate reopening across the board.

Anyone 75 or older can just show up at 26 different vaccination sites across the city.

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