New COVID-19 vaccine hub opens in Harlem
as state struggles to gain more shots
BY DEAN MOSES
Even with supplies depleting, the
latest COVID-19 vaccine hub in
the city opened on Sunday Jan. 17:
a pop-up vaccination site in Harlem operated
by New York state and the nonprofi t
SOMOS Community Care.
The basement of Abyssinian Baptist
Church has now been transformed into a
makeshift, specialized vaccine hub run by
SOMOS Community Care, a physician-led
network of doctors who work within lowincome
areas and communities of color.
By establishing this care facility within
a trusted community center led by local
medical practitioners, it is hoped that
individuals from the area will feel more
comfortable receiving the COVID-19 vaccine,
and, in turn, have greater effects on
the virus relief efforts.
In order to celebrate this latest endeavor
in fi ghting the novel coronavirus on 132
W 138th Street, elected offi cials, members
of Governor Cuomo’s Equity Distribution
Task Force, and SOMOS representatives
spoke about the location’s importance on
Jan. 17th.
Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Special Advisor
for Policy and Community Affairs, is an
appointed member of Cuomo’s Task Force.
“This is the largest governmental operation
in our lifetime and under Governor
Cuomo‘s direction, New Yorkers are stepping
up to get our community and our
neighbors vaccinated,” Hassell-Thompson
said.
Abyssinian Baptist Church is just one
of dozens of pop-up vaccination sites that
will be opening throughout New York
State. Hassell-Thompson’s says that similar
vaccine hubs will be replicated at other
churches throughout the city in an effort to
reduce vaccine barriers, ensuring equitable
distribution to the hardest hit communities.
“These sites are a signifi cant step toward
ensuring every New Yorker has equitable
access to the vaccine. We’re going to need
all hands on deck to make this operation is
a success,” Hassell-Thompson added.
As the state eligibility guidelines expand,
Cuomo’s administration have stressed the
need for more vaccine doses from the
federal government. The sheer number of
New York states now eligible for the vaccine
(such as frontline medical workers,
fi rst responders, essential workers, seniors
65 and older, and immunocompromised
individuals) is well over 7 million, and the
FILE PHOTO
current dispersal of 250,000 to 300,000
doses per week will not be enough, warns
Hassell-Thompson.
With the help of SOMOS Community
Care, physicians are able to work in dozens
of communities at various vaccination
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer was also in attendance at the
opening.
hubs to facilitate distribution, allowing for
a wider reach in access, especially for lowincome
and communities of color.
While access to the vaccines are increasing,
so are the fears of rapidly depleting
supplies.
Manhattan Borough President Gale
Brewer was also in attendance at the
opening, and she emphasized that the work
SOMOS is conducting is truly helping communities
in need. She referenced a recent
vaccination hub she visited at a NYCHA
site, where SOMOS doctors were distributing
the vaccine within a senior center there.
The need was apparent as she saw dozens
of individuals lining up eager to receive
their fi rst dose.
“I feel strongly that when you have an organization
taking place at NYCHA, where
people don’t have to travel, and they feel
comfortable in their senior center and you
have an organization that the governor has
worked with coming from the community,
it makes a big difference. People feel that
they’re going someplace where they’re going
to be cared for,” Brewer said.
As this new focal point in the battle
against COVID-19 has been settled within
his grounds, Reverend Dr. Calvin Butts of
Abyssinian Baptist Church stressed that
faith-based organizations are additionally
accountable to be on the front line of
defense on behalf of their communities,
offering aid, comfort, and support.
Butts was thankful for his church being
chosen as a hub and acknowledged that
this outreach effort is the perfect way to
salute Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on
Monday.
“Celebration of the life and work of the
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Junior,
there’s no greater way to show the strength
of the beloved community than by having
us all work together from all backgrounds,
all races, all creeds, and all work together in
order to meet a very serious challenge in our
nation today and in our world,” Butts said.
Approximately 300,000 people in the
United States have died from COVID-19,
and in New York alone about 35,000
people have perished.
Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Special Advisor for Policy and Community Affairs
speaks about the newest hub in Harlem.
Schneps Media January 21, 2021 3