Vaccine For All Program In New York City

With the City’s vaccine effort now underway, Mayor de Blasio today announced the launch of the NYC Vaccine for All Campaign. The Campaign—translated into 16 languages for radio, television, newspapers, and digital media—will spread the word of a safe, effective, and free vaccine in New York City.

“Finally, hope has finally arrived in New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We are launching a massive vaccination campaign at breakneck speed, guaranteeing that a vaccine will be safe, free, and easy to get for all New Yorkers.”

With a full rollout in January, the campaign will use a host of paid and earned media in over 16 languages—including TV spots, radio, subway and digital ads, social media and more—to spread public awareness around the City’s vaccination effort. A social media campaign will begin today, and digital campaign and subway live boards will begin next week.

This public awareness campaign will build on the work of the City’s Equity Plan, announced earlier this month. Spearheaded by the Taskforce on Racial Equity and Inclusion, the plan seeks to build trust and access to the vaccine in the 27 neighborhoods hardest hit by the virus. Through a broader outreach effort, the City will work with NYCHA residents, community partners, and faith leaders to spread accurate and trustworthy information about the vaccine and improve the distribution process.

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will also host virtual conversations with residents in the 27 neighborhoods and community leaders to share information on vaccine planning and provide opportunities for community members to raise questions and concerns. Community partners will have access to a training model, allowing them to serve as trusted messengers and hold webinars and community conversations on the City’s vaccine plan information and updates.

Following the successful partnership model the City established with NYCHA for COVID-19 testing, the City will use NYCHA space—including NYC Health + Hospitals clinics—to vaccinate priority populations. Finally, the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity will establish a subcommittee to focus on vaccine distribution in the city’s hardest-hit neighborhoods and engage their robust network of over 200 community organizations to ensure effective outreach. Their work will inform the City’s Vaccine Equity Principles, a set of commitments to ensure the vaccine is accessible to priority populations, with the obligation to continually solicit feedback from hardest-hit neighborhoods throughout the distribution process.

“Vaccination will put our city on the road to restoration,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi. “This campaign is about bringing the vaccine to all New Yorkers in a way that ensures it is accepted and accessible to everyone. This is the beginning of an important dialogue and we look forward to the forthcoming conversations with city communities in the months ahead.”

“Our City’s recovery depends on ensuring all New Yorkers are able to access and receive the vaccine,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Melanie Hartzog. “This mission is one of the most important in our City’s recent history and one of the largest and most complex––and we know it will take all of us doing our part to achieve it. Through this awareness campaign, we plan to spread the word about how free, safe, and easy it is to get vaccinated, while giving New Yorkers the information they need to understand where we are in this process and how they can help.”