‘We’re here to care of those people’
Bronx Rising Initiative and Morris Height Health Center vaccinates 15,000th Bronxite
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 80 UNE 25-JULY 1, 2021 BTR
Sisters, Servants of
Mary Ministers to the Sick
and the
Sisters, Servants of Mary Auxiliary
Annual Golf Classic & Dinner
honoring
Vin Todino
Vice President, FCV Sewer and Water, Inc.
Monday, August 2, 2021
11:30 am Shotgun
SCARSDALE GOLF CLUB
1 Club Way, Hartsdale, NY 10530
For more information, call Bruce Eagel
at (914) 332-4772 or (917) 957-5884
Or email: eagelsports@aol.com
BY JASON COHEN
As the Bronx was the epicenter
of COVID-19 and thousands
of lives were lost, things
are now slowly headed in the
right direction.
While it is still last in the
city in vaccination rates with
44 percent, nonprofit The
Bronx Rising Initiative vaccinated
its 15,000th person on
June 9 at one of Morris Height
Health Center’s clinics.
Since beginning their work
on Jan. 25, BRI’s successful
initiatives including conducting
door-to-door outreach in
NYCHA housing, hosting popup
vaccine sites at NYCHA
community centers and most
recently at Bronx charter
schools, launching a homebound
initiative and covering
Morris Heights Health Center’s
overhead costs, were critical
to reaching this momentous
number.
Tomas Ramos, who founded
BRI in March 2020, told the attendees
he never imagined the
organization would make such
an impact. He recalled watching
the death totals in Italy
and knew things would be bad
in the Bronx.
“It was inevitable. NYC was
going to get hit hard, but the
Bronx was going to get hit the
hardest,” Ramos said.
Upon launching the organization
he began seeking partners
and the first place he contacted
was MHHC. Over the
past year they have teamed up
to help the community.
He thanked MHHC for
working with him and praised
their staff.
Mari Millet, president and
CEO of MHHC, was quite emotional
when talking about the
pandemic. She recalled how in
January 2020 people were saying
the word COVID and no
one knew what it meant.
Then suddenly everyone
began getting sick. Doctors,
nurses, MHHC employees and
countless Bronxites battled the
coronavirus and hospitals and
funeral homes were overflowing
with bodies.
But, to be here in June and
have vaccinated 15,000 people
is just astonishing, she said.
“Without you we don’t get
it done,” she said to her staff.
“We came from the testing,
from the losing, we came from
a lot deeper place than vaccination.
This is about saying
thank you for saving lives.”
Looking ahead, she
stressed that more Bronx residents
must get vaccinated.
“We have to make sure that
the only way to protect people
now is to vaccinate them,” she
exclaimed. “We’re here to care
of those people who can’t care
for themselves.”
Tomas Ramos, who founded BRI.
Bronx Rising Initiative will be vaccinating their 15,000th Bronxite this Wednesday at one of Morris Height Health
Center’s clinics Photos by Jason Cohen
link
link
