Save Our Clinics
We, the undersigned, oppose the closure of the NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Tremont and Corona Immunization Clinics at a time when uninsured and under-insured children need immunization services more than ever.
As of August 21, 2013, the Fort Greene Immunization Clinic will be the only DOHMH clinic in New York City offering free and low-cost immunizations. The Fort Greene Immunization Clinic will only be open during the workweek, Monday through Friday, for only 4 hours a day.
We oppose DOHMH's decision to:
* Abandon an essential service that is part of their core public health mission
* Cut free and low-cost immunization services during the August back-to-school rush when most parents get their children vaccinated
* Reduce public access to vaccines after consecutive years of new influenza virus outbreaks
* Limit Fort Greene Immunization Clinic hours to only 8:30 am - 12 noon, Monday-Friday
* Withhold this information from the public and the Department of Education.
The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has chosen to close the Tremont and Corona Immunization Clinics on August 21, 2013 – during National Immunization Awareness Month. This will leave the Fort Greene Immunization Clinic as the only DOHMH clinic offering free and low-cost immunizations in New York City.
Vaccination and disease prevention are a part of the City’s Take Care New York 2016 Strategic Public Health Initiative. We oppose your decision to:
• Abandon an essential part of their core public health mission.
• Cut free and low-cost immunization services during the August back-to-school rush when most parents get their children vaccinated.
• Increase the risk to the public after consecutive years of new non-seasonal viral and influenza outbreaks, such as H1N1 and MRSA.
• Limit the Fort Greene Clinic to part-time hours, Monday-Friday.
• Withhold this information from the public, parents, the City Council and the Department of Education.
The DOHMH decision to close these clinics comes at a time when they are needed most: at the height of the back-to-school vaccination rush for school-age children and college students, as well as immigrant communities. Reducing access to life-saving vaccines could create a needless public health crisis. We urge you to reverse this decision and keep both clinics open.