SUNY opens four Educational Opportunity Centers to help NYers schedule vaccine appointments
BRONX, N.Y. (NEWS10) – SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced on Friday that four SUNY-run Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs) are now helping eligible New Yorkers schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments. Starting March 8, staff EOCs will open in the Bronx, Syracuse, Rochester, and Troy.
They will begin helping those who may not have access to a computer or internet or struggling for any reason to navigate the appointment-making process. Additional EOCs are expected to sign on in the weeks to come.
Chancellor Malatras made the announcement at the Bronx EOC after a tour of the facility and meetings with students, staff, and Bronx EOC CEO and Executive Director Ronnie Hector.
“No eligible New Yorker should be denied access to COVID-19 vaccines because they don’t have a computer or high-speed internet, or because they feel overwhelmed by the appointment-making process. Starting Monday, four SUNY Educational Opportunity Centers embedded in some of the state’s most under-resourced communities are now providing both technical and personal assistance to anyone struggling to navigate the vaccine appointment process. The pandemic has exacerbated many existing societal inequities, but with outreach, education, one-on-one assistance, and access to technology, we can help ensure that every New Yorker can get vaccinated and protected from this vicious virus.”
SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras
Chancellor Malatras also released the first PSA in a new campaign that features SUNY’s health experts and community leaders. The PSAs are created to help provide facts that dispel vaccine misconceptions and build confidence in the three FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines.