NASSAU COUNTY, NY – Nassau County Executive Laura Curran today announced that 85% of adult residents (18+) in Nassau County have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, the highest adult vaccination rate of all sixty-two counties in New York State according to the New York State Department of Health.
Nassau County has the third highest adult vaccination rate in the United States among Counties with a population greater than 1,000,000, behind only King County, WA and Alameda County, CA. Nassau County continues to over-perform State and National vaccination rates across demographic groups including Seniors, Youth, Black and Hispanic residents.
“Nassau County has led the way in vaccinations since Day 1, and we’re committed to protecting our progress and building on it. The vaccine is saving lives every day. If you haven’t rolled up your sleeve yet, now is the time,” said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.
County Executive Curran last week announced a new initiative to further increase vaccinations, a new Department of Health program offering onsite vaccination events to businesses. The program is open to all sized businesses, restaurants, shops, etc. and offers free in-house vaccinations by appointment to all eligible employees and family members. Appointments can be made by calling 516-227-9570.
The County has also focused on vaccinating eligible youth ahead of the school year. Nassau County pioneered a first-of-its-kind Student Vaccination Initiative, which has vaccinated thousands of eligible students through various pop-up events, most recently in Hempstead. The Student Vaccination Initiative has engaged and trained youth ambassadors to support and encourage peers to roll up their sleeves. The County drew national attention with the program and has been contacted by other Health Departments seeking guidance and detail on the County’s approach.
Nassau County has become a national model for COVID-19 vaccination, early on kicking off the “We Can Do It, Nassau” campaign to build public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines. The County ran four successful vaccine distribution centers at Nassau Coliseum, Nassau Community College, LIU Post and the “Yes We Can” Community Center. The County has worked to efficiently distribute vaccines to hospitals and community providers, partnering with Northwell Health and other medical providers to hold pop-up distribution events targeting hard to reach populations. Nassau also has collaborated with various community organizations like churches and synagogues for pop-up sites to get vaccines to residents in every community.
“I am beyond proud of our residents for rising to the challenge and getting the job done. Nassau’s success has truly been a team effort, and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to our County’s medical professionals, frontline workers, Health Commissioner Eisenstein and Nassau’s DOH staff, and the many community members who’ve worked tirelessly to save lives,” said County Executive Curran.
Health equity has been a cornerstone of Nassau’s vaccine campaign, and the County has utilized multimedia, multilingual communication to promote public confidence in the vaccine by emphasizing its importance for returning to normal. The County has reached tens of thousands of residents through its SMS text system, which provides information about vaccination appointment availabilities in 6 languages. The Department of Health’s Office of Health Equity has held multiple webinars with the County’s minority outreach agencies to provide information about the vaccine, including in Spanish, Haitian Creole, and other languages.
In addition, County Executive Curran formed the Nassau County Healthcare Equity Group to combat hesitancy of the COVID-19 vaccine and increase vaccine access for communities of color. The Team is led by Deputy County Executive for Health and Human Services Kyle Rose-Louder, and includes members from the Department of Health, Office of Minority Affairs, Office of Hispanic Affairs, Office of Asian American Affairs, and the Office of Human Services.
Click here for more info on the vaccine and for available appointments.