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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:August 26, 2021

CONTACT: pressoffice@nyc.doc.gov

CHSCommunications@nychhc.org

Dr. Fauci Creates Vax Videos for NYC Jails

Encourages Vaccination for People in Custody and Correction Workers

East Elmhurst, Queens, NY – To help protect the health of people who live and work in carceral settings, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci has generously created two videos encouraging vaccination for New York City’s jails, one for staff and one for people in custody.

“We want to do everything we can to keep people safe and continue encouraging vaccination, so we have been reaching out to high-profile messengers. We are extremely grateful to Dr. Fauci for making these important messages, which speak directly to us and indirectly to everyone who works in a correctional setting. With the rise of the Delta variant, we are doing everything we can prevent an outbreak in the City’s jails,” said DOC Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi.

"Recognizing that the vaccine is the key to containing the spread of COVID-19, CHS was the first in New York State to offer vaccination to people in custody. Since January, CHS has been working tirelessly with DOC to make this lifesaving resource available to the people in our care and custody, and are so appreciative to Dr. Fauci for adding his important voice to this effort," said Senior Vice President for Correctional Health Services Dr. Patricia Yang.

People in custody can see Fauci’s message via tablets available to them, while DOC and CHS staff—along with the general public—can watch the messages on social media channels.

At this time, approximately 41% of people in DOC custody have received at least one vaccine dose. At least 42% of DOC employees have received at least dose, a number that does not include employees who may have been vaccinated outside of city limits.

Those who live or work in prisons and jails are at much greater risk for contracting communicable diseases such as COVID-19. Some of the nation’s largest outbreaks have occurred in correctional institutions. Due to tremendous efforts by CHS, DOC, and our partners in criminal justice, New York City jails have so far fared far better than many other jail systems—a fact the Dr. Fauci points out in the videos.

To see Dr. Fauci’s videos, please click on the links below:

Dr. Fauci's Message to Correctional Workers

Dr. Fauci's Message to People in Custody

About DOC

The New York City Department of Correction (DOC) is dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment while providing individuals in our care with a path to successfully re-enter their communities. The Department provides for the care and custody of people ordered held by the courts and awaiting trial or who are convicted and sentenced to one year or less of jail time. DOC manages 8 facilities housing people in custody, 7 of which are located on Rikers Island. The Department also operates two hospital wards (Bellevue and Elmhurst hospitals) and court facilities in each borough. Our dedicated workforce of both uniformed and non-uniformed staff members represents the city’s Boldest.

About Correctional Health Services

NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Services is one of the nation’s leading correctional health care systems in quality of and innovations to care and access from pre-arraignment through compassionate release. Correctional Health Services is a pivotal partner in New York City’s criminal justice reform efforts, ranging from alternatives to incarceration to support of successful reentry into the community.

In 2016, as a new division of NYC Health + Hospitals, Correctional Health Services became the direct provider of health care in the city’s jails. Since the transition, Correctional Health Services has leveraged the resources of the nation’s largest municipal public health care system and changed the culture of service to individuals in the custody of the city.