Marders, Northwell and OLA of Eastern Long Island Collaborate On Vaccine Pop Up

On Wednesday, May 19, 65 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine were administered at Marders in Bridgehampton by a Northwell Health medical team as part of a Heath Equity Task Force initiative. Recipients of the vaccine were mostly Latino immigrant women and men; all were connected to the opportunity through outreach efforts by Marders and Northwell Health. Edgar Cerna and Thomas Feeney, Northwell Health, Minerva Perrez, OLA, and Marders collaborated with dedicated volunteers, many of whom are bilingual, to help the day run smoothly and efficiently.

For months, Marders has been concerned about the lack of access to vaccines for the community and employees on the East End of Long Island, particularly when it comes to Latino immigrants who often encounter barriers related to language, transportation, schedules, and technology/Wi-Fi. Marders is committed to supporting the overall well-being of its employees and the community it serves.

After the site was approved, Northwell Health registered people for all available appointments. Northwell’s medical team of professionals administered the program at Marders. OLA also provided volunteers through its Project Hope initiative to offer emotional support in the event there was anxiety around this process.

“I am happy to be a part of an organization (Northwell Health) that believes in the mission of bringing these services to the communities most in need, and knows that we are most effective in partnership,” said Edgar Cerna, with the Northwell Health Community Task Force. “As the grandson of an agricultural worker, the population we served today is near and dear to my heart, in fact, it’s personal. I see so much of my family reflected in the sweat and hard work of these immigrant men and women. Bringing this service to them and offering them the opportunity to keep themselves and their families safe through this vaccine is what drives me and my frontline staff to get this job done.”

“We have been working actively with Northwell on other vaccine actions and separately we are aware of how important an employer Marders is out on the East End,” said Minerva Perez, OLA of Eastern Long Island. “OLA brought these two entities together as a way to answer any slowdown in vaccines that we were aware of. In addition, we were able to link in our Project Hope initiative to offer emotional support in the event there was anxiety around this process. We were so happy with this partnership and the success of this action.”

“Our vaccination program was a great success and we were happy to bring this program to our employees and the community,” said David Negron, with Marders. “We would like to thank Northwell Health and OLA for their partnership, resources, and support in making this initiative a success!”