(L-R) Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis, Stony Brook Medicine Vice President for Health System Clinical Programs and Strategy Dr. Margaret McGovern, 25,000th COVID-19 Vaccine recipient and Southampton resident Veronica Lang with her husband James, Wolfie, and Lisa Santeramo, assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs.
Stony Brook University reached a major milestone in the COVID-19 vaccine distribution process on February 18 when it administered the 25,000th vaccine at its state-run mass vaccination site.
As the continued demand for COVID-19 vaccinations grows, Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine have responded to the community’s need. Playing a critical role in carrying out New York State’s vaccination plans and contributing its R&D Park as an on-campus point of distribution (POD), staff went to work alongside the state to bring peace of mind to many people in an array of at-risk groups. The site, established under the leadership of Governor Cuomo, opened on January 18.
“I am so proud of the milestone Stony Brook University, under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, has reached today in administering its 25,000th COVID-19 vaccine,” said President Maurie McInnis. “This comes just one month after we opened the mass vaccination site at the University’s R&D Park on January 18. The efficient and effective administration of the vaccine is an example of the excellent work the University and Stony Brook Medicine have been doing to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and bring this pandemic to an end.”
Widely regarded as a flagship campus for the State University of New York system, Stony Brook University is bringing the full strength of its leadership, expertise, resources and quality care to further New York State’s goal of delivering life-saving vaccines to those who need it most.
The State also turned to Stony Brook University Hospital to assist in successfully developing community PODs as pop-up sites in underserved communities on Long Island, to reach communities of color and the elderly, as well as help build trust, recognizing that the vaccine is one of the best ways to protect ourselves, our families and our communities from this serious infectious disease.
“Our success in administering vaccines at Stony Brook is a testament to our robust COVID-19 response activities, talent and expertise that are hallmarks of this University and premier academic medical center,” added Stony Brook Medicine Vice President for Health System Clinical Programs and Strategy Margaret McGovern. “It exemplifies how quickly and well we can coordinate our resources to best serve our community, on campus and off. We are continuing to administer as many doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as possible based on New York State eligibility requirements, distribution guidelines and vaccine supplies, and we will continue to lead all efforts we can to help ensure the health, safety and well-being of our local communities.”
To mark the occasion, Stony Brook University’s very own Wolfie joined public officials to show appreciation to all of the frontline workers manning the mass vaccination site.
This story was originally published by Stony Brook University