BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - More than $658,000 in federal funds was awarded to Jericho Road Community Health Center as part of the American Rescue Plan in an effort to increase vaccinations in areas where the rates are low.
Nearly two-thirds of New Yorkers have received at least one dose of the vaccine, including 77% of adults. 58% of New Yorkers are fully vaccinated, including 69.5% of adults. But in many urban zip codes in Buffalo, less than half of the population has at least one dose of the vaccine. This includes the zip codes 14208, 14215, 14210, 14204, 14207, 14206, and 14212.
"When COVID hit last march, we knew right away at Jericho Road that this was going to be a tough fight," Jericho Road Founder and CEO Dr. Myron Glick, said. "We know, the folks that we serve in the west side and east side in Buffalo, that they were probably going to get hard. That COVID was going to disproportionately affect Black and brown communities, our refugee communities. We determined from the very beginning that we wanted to do everything we could."
The money was described as a "game-changer" because it will allow Jericho Road to go door-to-door to build relationships in the community.
"One person at a time, we're going to get people vaccinated," Glick said. "That's our goal. The easy part is done now. There's enough vaccine out there now, so we now have to do our best to convince people, one at a time, that the shot is the right health care decision for them."
