Beacon Christian Community Health Center Receives Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y., December 24, 2020 (Newswire.com) - Beacon Christian Community Health Center is one of the first clinics in New York City to receive the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. This vaccine was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on December 18, 2020, through an emergency use authorization (EUA) to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The emergency use authorization allows the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to be distributed in the U.S. for use in individuals 18 years of age and older.

Yesterday afternoon Beacon's medical team began their Moderna COVID-19 Vaccination Program with the inoculation of several of its frontline healthcare staff. And as part of New York State's plan to have federally qualified health centers (FQHC's) assist in distributing the vaccine to facilities serving, amongst others, autistic and developmentally disabled people, Beacon is working on partnering with Eden II Programs and other Staten Island-based organizations with congregate settings to also assist with the vaccination plans facilitated by New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in accordance with their priority groups. 

"We are extremely grateful to the New York State Department of Health and so many others for the opportunity to be included in the first distribution of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine," expressed Dr. Janet Kim, Chief Medical Officer, Beacon Christian Community Health Center. "With this distribution, we'll able to help many frontline healthcare workers at Beacon, and also others, who have seen firsthand the devastation that this virus has wrought."

Beacon's past hands-on infectious disease experiences, including the H1N1 virus in 2009, and the Ebola outbreak in 2014, provided invaluable experience for the Beacon team to navigate the coronavirus epidemic on Staten Island. As one of the few health facilities that remained open and fully functional since the beginning of 2020, Beacon has performed over 1,500 COVID-19 tests at its facility and provided 700 families with food baskets and essentials to combat the virus' impact in the community.

"We were prepared to be at the forefront of this pandemic. We hit the ground running putting protocols in place immediately, as well as providing our COVID-19 experiences and infectious disease protocols to medical professionals around the world," said Dr. David Kim, CEO, Beacon Christian Community Health Center. "It is our hope and prayer that we can continue to be a resource, both locally and beyond, to others who are needing help and hope during this ongoing crisis."

About Beacon Christian Community Health Center 

Beacon Christian Community Health Center is a faith-based community health center which shares the love of Jesus by providing quality, affordable health and wellness care to Mariners Harbor and Staten Island residents. We care for the whole person and whole family addressing individual and family physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

Media Contacts

Sheldon Wermes
[email protected]
203-292-0125

Markiya Lee
[email protected]
917-982-0403

Source: Beacon Christian Community Health Center Inc.