NEWS 12

A one-day vaccination center at the Betances Houses in the Bronx gave 130 residents a COVID-19 shot.

The pop-up center in Mott Haven was part of Bronx Rising’s campaign to vaccinate 15,000 seniors in the borough in just eight weeks. Tomas Ramos, the founder, says they’ve already gotten to 3,000 residents since the end of January.

“A lot of the seniors cannot register online, don’t have access to technology,” he says. “By calling them and knocking on their doors and getting them to come down is the most efficient way.” The nonprofit has been around for a year and has already raised $2.3 million for vaccinations alone. “It’s been an exciting time for us to be able to come into community and really get these seniors vaccinated so they can go back to their everyday lives,” Ramos says.

Bronx Rising partnered with Catholic Charities of New York who helped get the word out to vaccine skeptics.

“We are happy to educate people about why this is important and why people should not be afraid,” says Paola Martinez, of Catholic Charities.

Wavecrest Management Company, which oversees the complex’s operations, also joined in to make sure residents didn’t have to travel far to get protected. Susan Camerata, who is with the company says, “They can feel comfortable that they’re doing it here near their

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