Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is partnering with Walgreens to vaccinate Central New Jersey teachers and school support staff. Special COVID-19 vaccine clinics for area teachers were held earlier this month at Walgreens in Somerville, where about 400 teachers and support staff were vaccinated.
“Walgreens has been a long-time partner in helping us care for our community,” said Tony Cava, president and CEO of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, where Walgreens opened a pharmacy in the Emergency Department in 2016. “With schools throughout our region beginning to fully reopen, it was urgent that we work together to help ensure that as many teachers and staff as possible get vaccinated so they can safely return to the classroom.”
As part of Walgreens ongoing commitment to health equity, the company has been focused on equitable delivery of COVID vaccines since the start of the pandemic. This extends into ensuring ease of access through offsite clinics in partnership with community-based organizations. To date, Walgreens has hosted more than 500 offsite COVID-19 vaccination clinics in communities across the country.
“We are grateful for this opportunity offered by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset and Walgreens,” said Timothy Simonitis, president of the Piscataway Township Education Association. “The return to ‘normal’ school is dependent on the health and safety of staff and students alike. Receiving the COVID vaccine is a huge step in the right direction and our return to normalcy.”
Since mid-December, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset has administered more than 9,000 doses of the vaccine to community members, employees and physicians. In addition to its partnership with Walgreens, the hospital has partnered with local organizations to reach out to members of the Black and brown community to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccine. The hospital also collaborated with the Downtown Somerville Alliance on a promotional campaign to encourage community members to get vaccinated. As part of the campaign, 12 Somerville businesses and restaurants are offering incentives for patrons who are vaccinated.
For more information on COVID-19, visit www.rwjbh.org/covid19. To register for the COVID-19 vaccine at an RWJBarnabas Health facility, visit www.rwjbh.org/covid19vaccine.