COVID-19 Information for Patients and Caregivers: First Lady Jill Biden and Anthony Fauci Visit MSK Vaccination Clinic at Harlem Church

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Anthony Fauci shakes hands with Shakima Grant as Dr. Jill Biden looks on

Shakima Grant, MSK Community Programs Manager, receives a warm handshake from Dr. Fauci. “He thanked me for my work in the community,” says Ms. Grant, one of the approximately 350 MSK staff who have volunteered to work more than 800 shifts. This includes clinical vaccinators to administer the vaccine; flow monitors to help sign people in, manage their paperwork, and make appointments for second doses; pharmacists to prepare the vaccine as needed; and site managers and hospital administrators to oversee the day-to-day operations.

Dr. Jill Biden shaking hands with a woman as Anthony Fauci and another woman look on

Drs. Biden and Fauci greet community members at the clinic alongside Linda Thompson, Health Ministry Leader at Abyssinian Baptist Church.

Monika Shah speaking with a volunteer vaccinator

Monika Shah, Medical Director of the clinic and a volunteer vaccinator, shows a woman her vaccination card after giving her a shot. The clinic is vaccinating people ages 12 and up.

Dr. Jill Biden addressing someone out of frame

Dr. Biden addresses the crowd, flanked by Dr. Fauci and Debra Fraser-Howze, founder of Choose Healthy Life, a national initiative to address COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on the Black community.

Craig Thompson, Carol Brown, Yadira Rosemin, and Maurisha Osi posing for a photo next to an MSK sign

Craig Thompson and Carol Brown joined MSK vaccine clinic volunteers Yadira Rosemin, the clinic’s Site Manager, and Maurisha Osi, Patient Relations Manager, who helped represent MSK and welcome the First Lady and Dr. Fauci to the vaccine clinic.

Memorial Sloan Kettering’s efforts to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccine got a booster when First Lady Jill Biden and Anthony Fauci stopped by the community clinic at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City on June 6.

“We’re going to end this outbreak with absolute certainty, and the vehicle to ending it is vaccination,” said Dr. Fauci. “And that’s why I’m so impressed by being here and so honored to be here.” Dr. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, added that he also felt a personal connection because his father had worked at the MSK pharmacy.

During the 40-minute visit, Dr. Biden spoke to several providers and members of the community, even offering to hold a hand if someone was nervous. The First Lady told a 14-year-old, “You’re exactly who we’re going for. We definitely want [people] 12 and over to be vaccinated.”

Cynthia McCollum, Senior Vice President, Hospital Administration, was approached by the city in late February to organize a clinic to reach underserved populations. Together they agreed Abyssinian Baptist Church would be an ideal location. “We want MSK to be part of an effort to make vaccines available to New York City’s Black and Hispanic communities,” she says. Large numbers of MSK staff stepped forward to help create and staff the clinic.

MSK has been offering vaccines at the Harlem landmark church since April 2021. So far, nearly 10,000 doses have been administered.

“We know communities of color continue to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and face barriers that make it more difficult for them to access these effective and lifesaving vaccines,” says Craig Thompson, MSK’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

We know communities of color continue to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and face barriers that make it more difficult for them to access these effective and lifesaving vaccines.

Craig B. Thompson President and CEO

Monika Shah, an MSK infectious disease specialist, is Medical Director of the clinic. “When we asked for MSK volunteers,” she says, “we were overwhelmed by the response from doctors, nurses, advanced practice providers, pharmacists, administrators, health educators, and support staff. So many people have pitched in to make it a success.”

This clinic was one of the first to offer a walk-in vaccination program and has never turned anyone away. There are translators fluent in languages from Spanish to Haitian Creole to Mandarin Chinese for non-English speaking residents. The Abyssinian Baptist Church clinic is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and offers vaccinations to anyone ages 12 and up.

Other MSK vaccine outreach efforts include a pop-up clinic at MSK Nassau in partnership with the Nassau County Department of Health. More than 440 residents were vaccinated over the course of eight days earlier this spring.

“We plan to build on the success of our collaborations with the Nassau County Department of Health and Abyssinian Baptist Church in the fight against COVID-19 in future joint cancer-health equity initiatives,” says Carol Brown, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer at MSK.

June 7, 2021