ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Nurses, NYC Public Advocate call for free flu shots in hard hit areas

  Image: NYS Nurses Association
  “We saw officials get Wall Street up and running in two days. We need to put that same effort into addressing our city's healthcare crisis,” said NYSNA President Patricia DiLillo, RN.
  Image: NYS Nurses Association
  “I’ve been in high rises with no power. As nurses, we know how quickly the flu can spread under these conditions,” said Mary Fitzgerald, RN, a nurse at Montefiore Medical Center.

NYSNA nurses joined NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio on the steps of City Hall today. Our message: the Mayor must significantly step up the distribution of flu shots in places like the Rockaways, Staten Island, and Coney Isalnd.

“With winter upon us, a flu epidemic is a very real and dangerous possibility – if we do not act now,” said NYSNA President Patricia DiLillo, RN (above, right).

“When the storm hit, NYSNA nurses stepped up in a big way and really did a hands-on effort,” said de Blasio. “That’s the kind of kind of thing we’d like to see our city do.”

Two weeks ago, the Public Advocate asked the Mayor to step up flu shot distribution, but the Mayor’s office’s response was not sufficient. He called on the city to distribute flu shots at community centers and in the lobbies of high rise buildings – for free.

“This storm discriminated,” he said. “It overwhelmingly affected working class and poor neighborhoods, seniors, people in public housing, people already vulnerable.”

“Nurses are ready, willing, and able to help deliver those flu shots,” said DiLillo. “Together, we can build back a better healthcare system that serves all New Yorkers.”

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The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in
the Empire State. With more than 37,000 members, it is New York’s largest professional association and union for registered nurses. The association represents registered nurses, and some all-professional bargaining units, in New York and New Jersey. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.