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The effort to reach more New Yorkers with the vaccine in their own language is expanding with the launch of mobile language teams, the NYC Test & Trace Corps announced today. Beginning next week, a full-service vaccination experience will be available in Spanish, Mandarin, and Haitian Creole, with more languages anticipated to be available on the growing fleet of mobile units by the end of this month.

“As rates of COVID-19 infection fall across the city, our fight against the virus is focused on tearing down barriers to vaccination, and with our mobile language teams, we can now reach more New Yorkers based on the understanding and trust of a shared language,” said Dr. Ted Long, Executive Director of the NYC Test & Trace Corps and Senior Vice President for Ambulatory Care and Population Health at NYC Health + Hospitals. “This new initiative builds on the strength of our COVID-19 mobile testing infrastructure to expand access to the vaccine with welcoming service across our communities.”

Starting next week, six mobile language teams will be serving New Yorkers in the languages of Spanish, Mandarin and Haitian Creole. By the end of this month, with the projected addition of teams in Russian, French and Yiddish, it is anticipated that 10 mobile language teams will be available in six languages, to coincide with the expansion of the mobile vaccination fleet of vans to 30 units. With this development, one-third of the mobile vaccination fleet is expected to offer full-service, bilingual language capacity in English and another language.

Operated in partnership with DocGo, the mobile language teams will assist New Yorkers with every step of the vaccination process in their own language. Each team includes registration staff to help with check-in and check-out, and clinical staff to administer the vaccine and monitor patients on site during the post-vaccination observation period.

Mobile language teams are assigned to locations according to need and what languages are predominantly spoken in an area. Walk-up vaccinations with no appointments required will be available at the following locations next week.

Spanish/English

Park of the Americas (Johnson & Johnson)
Corner of 104th Street and 41st Street
Corona, Queens, NY 11368
Tuesday, June 1 – Sunday, June 6
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Mixteca / Consulate of Mexico (Johnson & Johnson)
245 23rd St #2
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Thursday, June 3 – Saturday, June 5
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Mandarin/English

Rutgers Community Center (Moderna)
200 Madison Street
Manhattan, NY 10002
Thursday, June 3 – Saturday, June 5
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Kissena Corridor Park (Pfizer)
Corner of Colden Street and Geranium Avenue
Queens, NY 11355
Sunday, June 6
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Haitian Creole/English

Georgia Avenue and Blake Avenue [adjacent to NYCHA Unity Plaza] (Johnson & Johnson)
Brooklyn, NY 11207
Tuesday, June 1 – Sunday, June 6
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

New Hope Family Worship Center (Pfizer)
817 Livonia Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11207
Thursday, June 3 – Sunday, June 6
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

The mobile language teams are part of the Community Vaccine Clinic program operated by the NYC Test & Trace Corps in partnership with City agencies and community organizations to remove barriers and make vaccination accessible for all New Yorkers. To date, more than 35,000 New Yorkers have been fully vaccinated through the program at 120 unique mobile and pop-up locations including public housing developments, houses of worship and consulates across the five boroughs.

“As we continue our fight against COVID-19, it is critical we eliminate any barriers when it comes to vaccine accessibility and education,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “The launch of this new initiative, having mobile language teams assisting New Yorkers with every step of the vaccination process, is an integral step towards reaching more Bronx residents. I would like to thank NYC Health + Hospitals and NYC Test & Trace Corps for their continued work to get New Yorkers vaccinated and for their efforts to keep us healthy.”

“With hundreds of languages spoken in Queens alone, reaching our historically underserved and immigrant neighborhoods with a culturally and linguistically competent COVID-19 vaccination effort is an absolute necessity in order to truly put this pandemic behind us,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr. “We’ve endured too much loss and have come too far in our recovery to fall short. We are confident this vital new vaccination initiative will help make these life-saving shots more accessible than ever before for so many of our Queens residents.”

“New Yorkers from all backgrounds no matter what language they speak should be able to receive COVID-19 vaccination information and services and I’m glad that Spanish, Mandarin, Haitian Creole, and Russian as well as French and Yiddish mobile language teams for mobile vaccinations will be available to meet the needs of these diverse linguistic communities,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer.

All mobile vaccination teams in the Community Vaccine Clinic program offer language access resources. For more information on community clinic locations, visit nyc.gov/vcc

Contact: Press Office, 212-788-3339

About Test & Trace Corps

The Test & Trace Corps is the City’s comprehensive effort to test, trace, and provide support for every case of COVID-19 and every person exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19. Through a partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Test & Trace Corps allows the City to immediately isolate and care for those who test positive for the virus and then rapidly track, assess, and quarantine anyone who may have been exposed. To help all New Yorkers safely separate at home and monitor their health status, the Take Care pillar of the Test & Trace Corps also offers free hotel rooms with wraparound services for New Yorkers who are unable to safely separate in their own homes. For those safely separating at home, contact tracers perform daily calls and conduct in-person visits as necessary. These calls allow tracers to gauge the progress of cases, ensure proper compliance with separation protocol, and connect people to more supportive services as necessary. Today, 98% of all COVID-19 cases and 97% of contacts reported following isolation and quarantine requirements.

About NYC Health + Hospitals

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.