PEEKSKILL, NEW YORK – Sun River Health (formerly Hudson River HealthCare and Brightpoint Health) is pleased to announce that it will partner with New York State to provide COVID-19 vaccines to local agricultural workers. NYS Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced his plan to partner with Sun River Health and other Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and local health departments to bring pop-up COVID-19 vaccination sites to farms and food production facilities to vaccinate their employees, including migrant workers, at a press conference at Angry Orchard near Walden, New York on Monday, April 13.
"As we continue to expand eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine and establish more pop-up sites to reach New Yorkers in underserved communities, it's critical that we bring the vaccine to every part of the state, not just those with high populations. That's why we're making sure food production workers and farm workers in rural areas, including migrant workers, get vaccinated for COVID-19," said NYS Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. "This new effort to bring the vaccine directly to farmers and food production workers at their places of employment is an important step forward to reaching a population that lives in more remote parts of the state. COVID remains a threat to all of us, but we have the weapon that will win the war — we just need to make sure it's available to everyone who is eligible across New York."
"We are thrilled to support Governor Cuomo in providing access to the COVID-19 vaccines for New York State's agricultural workers,” said Anne Kauffman Nolon, MPH, Sun River Health Chief Executive Officer. “These individuals grow and harvest the food on our tables. The vast majority of New York's essential food production goes on year-round, and much of this work is done indoors. Working with growers and our community partners to overcome the barriers to vaccine access for this vital part of our community is a big step forward in bringing an end to the COVID-19 pandemic."
New York State will provide 500 doses to Sun River Health to administer to Angry Orchard employees, as well as farm and food production workers from other facilities in the Orange County area. Vaccines will be administered beginning Wednesday, April 21.
An official statement from the Governor’s Office about this partnership can be found here: Governor Cuomo Announces New Targeted Effort to Vaccinate Workers at New York State Farms and Food Production Companies (ny.gov)
About Sun River Health
Sun River Health is a system of 43 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) providing primary, dental, pediatric, OB-GYN, and behavioral health care to over 245,000 patients annually. With a dedicated staff of 2,000 doctors, nurses, and health care professionals, we pride ourselves on delivering high-quality, affordable care to those who need it most. Sun River Health started in 1975 when four African American mothers spearheaded efforts to open our first health center in Peekskill, New York to deliver accessible, high-quality, affordable services to patients in need – no matter their race, religion, income, or insurance status. Today, after 46 years of service, Sun River Health is still delivering on that promise to communities across the Hudson Valley, New York City, and Long Island.
sunriver.org
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