The Charles B. Wang Community Health Center in Flushing has been awarded more than $10 million in federal funds to administer COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as COVID-19 testing and treatment.
The funding, allocated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), was made available under the American Rescue Plan, the COVID-19 relief bill that President Joe Biden signed into law after it was approved by Congress last month.
Congresswoman Grace Meng, who supported the legislation and helped pass the measure in the House of Representatives, said she is proud to announce that the vital funding will greatly help her congressional district recover from the pandemic. Meng visited the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, located at 137-43 45th Ave., on Friday, April 16, to thank the staff members for their outstanding work during the COVID-19 crisis.
“Getting shots into people’s arms was one of the key components of the American Rescue Plan, and I am extremely pleased that this relief package will expand access to vaccines for many of my constituents, particularly in underserved neighborhoods,” Meng said at a press conference at the center.
Kaushal Challa, CEO of the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, said they’re grateful to the Biden administration for making funds available through the American Rescue Plan to expand vaccine access and primary care in underserved communities.
“COVID-19 has brought into focus the many ways that demographic and societal factors affect people’s health,” Challa said. “Health centers like ours are reaching deep into our communities to address health inequities.”
According to Kaushal, the center has administered over 27,000 vaccine doses so far, with focus on those who are elderly, or more likely to face barriers when trying to access healthcare.
Challa and Meng toured the center’s new mass vaccination site at the Benjamin Rosenthal-Prince Street Innovative Senior Center in Flushing. The Congresswoman announced more than $24 million ($24,469,750) in American Rescue Plan funding for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, which operates New York City’s public hospital system.
