Leaders Push Vaccine Access For Educators

Miami FL

18 March, 2021

8:05 AM

Description

By Johania Charles Mar 16, 2021 After months of advocating for school personnel to be prioritized for the vaccine and finally getting the green light for eligibility, leaders are doing everything in their power to increase access. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson hosted an event at the Juanita Mann Health Center at 2520 NW 75th St. on Monday, where teachers involved in the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project she founded were vaccinated. The dropout prevention and mentoring program is where Wilson started, but not where she'll end. "One of our goals is to have all of our teachers, school principals, teacher aids and anyone who works in the school vaccinated," said Wilson at the news conference while sharing her plans to achieve immunity by increasing vaccine access. "That has to be a priority." To do that, she is partnering with United Teachers of Dade and Miami-Dade branch of the NAACP, as well as Jessie Trice Community Health Center CEO Annie Neasman and other area leaders. Representatives from UTD said their goal was to encourage educators to get vaccinated in support of reopening schools without fear of employees becoming severely ill from the coronavirus. Wilson also revealed that Title I funding in the sum of $1 billion dollars may be distributed to M-DCPS to close the achievement gap caused by the pandemic. All Jessie Trice Community Health Center locations and sites will offer vaccines to educators by appointment, but individuals must meet state requirements. FEMA sites like Miami Dade College's North Campus were also suggested for educators and school personnel looking to get vaccinated. "Most of the people getting vaccinated at the federal site at Miami Dade College did not look like me," said Wilson with disappointment in her voice after working with the Biden administration to secure the site. "They look like somebody else who knew [they] had vaccines. When we fight for you, you have to take advantage, you cannot sit back and complain. Do not use access as an excuse." Miami-Dade County Public Schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho received his vaccine Monday through Jackson Health. More than 2,500 school employees have been vaccinated to date through a partnership with the local health care giant. The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.