Please see the following from Statewide President, Fred Kowal:
Colleagues,
Please see attached. I just received this notice. All the efforts of so many of us has paid off at last! All those working on campus are now eligible for vaccination!
Thanks to all of you for your advocacy and commitment to our efforts — and the work we are doing.
In Solidarity,
Fred
From: Malatras, Jim <Jim.Malatras@suny.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2021 9:50 AM
To: Fred Kowal <fkowal@uupmail.org>
Subject: FW: Expanded COVID Vaccine Eligibility
FYI. Thanks for your help on this. It was a major part of getting it done.
From: “Malatras, Jim” <Jim.Malatras@suny.edu>
Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 9:49 AM
To: Presidents – All <Presidents-All@suny.edu>
Cc: “Gladd, Aaron” <Aaron.Gladd@suny.edu>, “Berlin, Beth” <Beth.Berlin@suny.edu>, “Valerie.Dent@suny.edu” <Valerie.Dent@suny.edu>, “Baldwin, Megan” <Megan.Baldwin@suny.edu>, Stephanie Fargnoli <Stephanie.Fargnoli@suny.edu>, Sandra Casey <Sandra.Casey@suny.edu>, “Freedman, Spencer” <Spencer.Freedman@suny.edu>
Subject: Expanded COVID Vaccine Eligibility
Dear Colleagues,
Because of our unified message and non-stop advocacy from the System Administration team, individual campus leadership, our partners from the SUNY community—including the strong push by UUP, PEF, CSEA, and others—our highest risk SUNY faculty, staff, and students are eligible to receive the vaccine as increased federal supply has been made available to New York State’s COVID-19 Vaccination program. From the onset of the vaccine distribution program in December, we ensured that faculty and students working or learning in health care settings were eligible in the early phases of distribution, and last week we were able to clarify that all staff who provide regular residence life programming to students are vaccine-eligible as in-person instructors.
I am now pleased to announce that per the updated NYS DOH COVID-19 Vaccine Program guidance all in-person, essential staff at our colleges and universities will now also be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at any State or Local Health Department operated vaccine site effective immediately.
While there is still a way to go in combatting this pandemic, this eligibility expansion is a critically important step in moving our campuses forward. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Valerie Dent.
Jim