COVID-19 vaccines – 91��Ƭ

91��Ƭ to Host Health Fair on July 25

Michelle Lang — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 20:53:37 +0000

91��Ƭ will host its annual Health Fair on Thursday, July 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the rear parking lot of 91��Ƭ Extended Care Facility (near the intersection of 14th Avenue and Camden Street, Newark). The event is free and open to the public. Free health screenings will be available for all ages, along with free COVID-19 vaccines and free food and refreshments. For more information about being a sponsor or exhibitor, please fill out the or call 973-624-2020.

Click here to view the flyer.

NCC Family Night/Family Council at Extended Care

Michelle Lang — Thu, 25 May 2023 22:00:00 +0000

91��Ƭ Extended Care Facility will host NCC Family Night/Family Council on Thursday, May 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. on site at 266 South Orange Ave., Newark. Topics will be Diabetes Management and Antibiotics Stewardship. Presenters will include and Veronica Onwunaka, Administrator at Extended Care. The event is sponsored by .

The CHOP team will provide the following: COVID-19 take home kits, COVID-19 vaccines, glucose readings and blood pressure screenings. Dinner will be served.

Please RSVP to Julienne at 973-585-9610 or Christiana at 973-585-9645. All are welcome.

91��Ƭ Extended Care to Host NCC Family Night/Family Council on May 25

Michelle Lang — Mon, 08 May 2023 15:59:48 +0000

The CHOP team will provide the following: COVID-19 take home kits, COVID-19 vaccines, glucose readings and blood pressure screenings. Dinner will be served.

Please RSVP to Julienne at 973-585-9610 or Christiana at 973-585-9645. All are welcome.

91��Ƭ Participates in Newark Equitable Vaccine Initiative

Michelle Lang — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 19:07:47 +0000

91��Ƭ is one of the community organizations working to ensure residents of color have access to COVID-19 vaccines through the Newark Equitable Vaccine Initiative. The initiative kicked off on March 23 with a community vaccination event in the parking lot of the IHOP on Bergen Street.

91��Ƭ’s Health and Human Services Department was instrumental in helping to ensure the event’s success. The department’s community health workers (CHWs) registered individuals for vaccine appointments prior to the event and were on site to help check in vaccine recipients, alongside representatives from Urban League of Essex County, which was a partner with NCC in executing the plan for the day. Event participants also received information about free COVID-19 crisis counseling that is available through Family Service Bureau of Newark (FSB). 91��Ƭ’s Security Department provided transportation for NCC residents who had vaccine appointments at the event.

“This is another in the list of cooperative efforts between government, business and the nonprofit community to get those who face challenges vaccinated,” said 91��Ƭ CEO Richard Rohrman. “The level of cooperation and shared urgency has been something that is encouraging and shows us what we are capable of as a unified group. We were happy to be able to transport people to the event. This initiative is another much needed avenue to help us reach our shared goal of vaccinating as many residents as possible.”

Women check in for their vaccination appointment during the Newark Equitable Vaccine Initiative kickoff on March 23. Representatives from 91��Ƭ and the Urban League of Essex County were on hand to assist those receiving vaccines. A tent was set up in the parking lot of the IHOP on Bergen Street in Newark where individuals received vaccines and those involved in the initiative spoke about the importance of educating and vaccinating minority communities in the city.

NCC Chief Operating Officer Fred Hunter attended the kickoff event and spoke about how 91��Ƭ serves a large population of people of color and has made vaccine education and distribution a priority.

“There are many different areas of 91��Ƭ that are instrumental in getting the message out about the importance of getting folks vaccinated,” he said.

In addition to helping with the community vaccination event, 91��Ƭ, with the assistance of area pharmacies and the City of Newark Department of Health, has offered vaccines to residents and staff members at its senior housing buildings and skilled nursing facility. Education surrounding the vaccines for residents and staff members is ongoing.

“Vulnerable seniors in our nursing home and senior buildings were vaccinated in their homes,” Rohrman said. “The Newark Health Department has been outstanding.”

91��Ƭ Chief Operating Officer Fred Hunter addresses the crowd during the kickoff of the Newark Equitable Vaccine Initiative.

91��Ƭ Chief of Health and Human Services Arti Kakkar emphasized the importance of education and accessibility.

“When it comes to disparities in health, it is important to note for future endeavors why it exists because that needs to be addressed. When it comes to vaccination efforts, we need to make it easily accessible for Newark residents to be able to meet the vaccination goals set by the county and the state,” she said. “For successful implementation of a vaccination program, I strongly believe we need to address the hesitancy around the vaccines by community education, which we are doing with our community health workers, and also address emotional issues and anxiety that we are addressing through our crisis counseling support through FSB.”

Data supports the assertion that increased education and access to vaccinations for communities of color are important to help put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of the kickoff event, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said that less than 5 percent of the Newark population had been fully vaccinated.

“With something like this, we’re providing access to people to get the vaccination, particularly in neighborhoods where people are more likely to die from COVID-19,” Baraka said. “These communities are three times more likely to succumb to the coronavirus and 10 times less likely to take the vaccine, which is why this event is extremely important.”

Funding for the Newark Equitable Vaccine Initiative comes from a $1 million grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to United Way of Greater Newark.

“The Newark Equitable Vaccine Initiative leverages Newark’s best resources for building equity and increasing access to the community,” said United Way of Greater Newark President and CEO Catherine Wilson. “It brings together local health care providers, community-based organizations, small business owners, clergy, elected officials and concerned citizens all working together to coordinate on distribution, connect residents with providers, share resources and promote accurate health information.”

Having a group of entities working together to help to educate and vaccinate the community will hopefully increase vaccine participation.

“No one organization, no one government can do this alone,” said Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo. “I want to see everyone engaged in this.”

Dr. Shereef Elnahal, president and CEO of University Hospital, told those in attendance that he and his staff have seen firsthand the devastating effect COVID-19 has had on communities of color. Because infections continue, he said the efforts of the Newark Equitable Vaccine Initiative are vital to fighting the virus.

“This pandemic is not over and its impact on Black and brown people has not ended,” Elnahal said. “We have to do this. We have to start now and we have to work together.”

Adenah Bayoh, IHOP Multi-Franchise Owner and Cornbread Co-Founder, allowed her Bergen Street IHOP location’s parking lot to serve as the kickoff event location. She was born and raised in Newark and volunteered at University Hospital when she was 12 years old. She said the initiative is personal to her and very important.

“I would shut down IHOP if I had to to make sure more people in the community get vaccinated,” she said.

Personnel from Rite Aid and Newark Community Health Center were on hand to administer vaccines throughout the day of the kickoff.

Rite Aid Division Vice President Margherita R. Cardello said the pharmacy is happy to be a part of the Newark Equitable Vaccine Initiative to increase access to information and vaccinations.

“It’s only possible with community groups and businesses working together seamlessly for the greater good,” she said.

91��Ƭ Residents Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Michelle Lang — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 16:46:57 +0000

All 91��Ƭ senior buildings have offered COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible residents. Vaccines were administered in each building’s Community Room, providing residents with a very convenient location. The Newark Department of Health helped arrange for the vaccine distribution at the Newark properties.

A resident of Roseville Senior, 1 South Eighth St., Newark, receives a COVID-19 vaccine on Feb. 5. Photo courtesy of Gladys Artis.

An Associates resident prepares to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Photo courtesy of Anne Moran.

An Associates resident fills out a form before receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Photo courtesy of Anne Moran.

Residents of Associates wait in the Community Room to receive their COVID-19 vaccine on Feb. 5. Photo courtesy of Anne Moran.

91��Ƭ Career & Technical Institute Students Help in the Fight Against COVID-19

Michelle Lang — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 22:05:36 +0000

91��Ƭ Career & Technical Institute (NCCTI) students in the Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA) program have joined in the fight against COVID-19 by accepting temporary positions at University Hospital to administer vaccines to hospital staff members in the facility’s Ambulatory Care Center.

NCCTI and University Hospital have a longstanding partnership with the hospital hiring NCCTI graduates to fill a variety of roles. When University Hospital needed temporary workers to administer COVID-19 vaccinations for their staff members, representatives from the Human Resources Department reached out to NCCTI for assistance shortly before Christmas. By Dec. 28, several students had already completed the onboarding process and began their work.

“We are pleased that University Hospital valued the partnership enough to call us,” said NCCTI Director Rodney Brutton. “We were one of their immediate sources for candidates for the vaccine rollout.”

Director of Talent Acquisition for University Hospital Eileen Rowland-Scheets contacted Brutton about the opportunity to see if any NCCTI students would qualify and have an interest. He immediately reached out to students in the CMA program to see who would be willing and able to apply for the temporary positions. Interested students submitted resumes, interviewed and completed the necessary screenings to start work. Seven students are now administering the vaccines.

Rowland-Scheets said the feedback she has received from the NCCTI students’ supervisors has been positive, which doesn’t surprise her.

“My team and Rodney work so well together, there is trust and respect that translates into positive outcomes,” she said.

The students can attest to the positive experiences. Malika Brown enjoys working at University Hospital administering the COVID-19 vaccines. She works Monday through Friday from 6:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is sometimes asked to work Saturday as well.

“I love it,” she said, “Some of the patients are so excited to get the vaccine.”

Brown decided to pursue the temporary position as a way to gain experience at University Hospital. She plans to apply for a permanent position there once she earns her certification.

University Hospital Human Resources Generalist Jeannette Gil explained that working in the temporary role will give NCCTI students a leg up when they apply for a full-time, permanent position since their work will already be known to hospital staff. She said NCCTI students have traditionally performed well in their roles in the hospital system.

“Throughout the years, I’ve hired quite a few 91��Ƭ students and I’ve received great feedback from the supervisors and managers in regards to the students. That’s why we continue to go back,” Gil said.

91��Ƭ CEO Richard Rohrman said providing students opportunities that lead to successful careers fulfills the NCC mission.

“It is hard to overstate the satisfaction all of us get when sending a new class out into the work world. Their training and dedication will surely open doors for them in such a wide open field,” he said. “We need them now more than ever.”

Brutton said credit goes to the students and their instructor whose work ensured they were prepared.

“Students had the entry-level skills, work readiness and the professionalism to take advantage of this opportunity as it was presented,” he said.

Brown said she is happy staff members at NCCTI have pushed her to pursue her career goals.

“I thank the school for giving me this opportunity,” she said. “They’re helping me get my foot in the door at University Hospital and I’m grateful for that.”

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Community Healthcare Worker, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business and Computer Technologies. NCCTI also operates a comprehensive Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities Program sponsored by the local and national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) offices. For more information, call 973-824-6484, log onto newcommunitytech.edu or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.