M-DCPS Partners With Jackson Health System To Provide First Wave Of Employee Coronavirus Vaccines

From the Miami-Dade County Public Schools:

January 20, 2021

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) has partnered with Jackson Health System
(JHS) to provide COVID-19 vaccines to all M-DCPS employees age 65 and older,
including part-time personnel, during a two-day event this weekend. The
vaccinations will be administered on Saturday, January 23 and Sunday, January
24 at Jackson’s three sites, which are conveniently located throughout the
county. This weekend’s M-DCPS-JHS vaccination event is the beginning of more to
come.

“Whether they are teaching, feeding, transporting students or
maintaining our schools clean, our dedicated employees have always worked
tirelessly to provide the best environment for all children,” said Schools Superintendent
Alberto M. Carvalho. “Protecting the health and wellbeing of these essential
workers is vital to ensuring student learning continues as we move towards
stabilizing our community and the economy. We are grateful to Jackson Health
System for teaming up with us on this life-saving initiative.”

Early last December, Superintendent Carvalho began advocating for
the prioritization of the COVID-19 vaccine for school personnel in a letter
sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis and State Surgeon General Scott A. Rivkees. At its
regular meeting in January, The School Board of Miami-Dade unanimously approved
a resolution seeking the prioritization of COVID-19 vaccinations for teachers
and all school personnel, asking the Superintendent to advocate for this
request at the local, state and national level.

“Jackson Health System is committed to controlling this pandemic
by vaccinating as many people as possible in our community,” said Carlos A.
Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System. “By forging this
partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we will work together to get
vaccines into the arms of educators and school system employees age 65 and
older - people who are essential in our community and in the lives of our
children. This added layer of protection against the virus will help them
continue to work and thrive in a safe environment.”

Employees will be receiving additional information, including how
to preregister for the event and the exact date and time of their
appointment.

This latest partnership with JHS is an additional collective
effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community. M-DCPS continues
to work closely with JHS and Miami-Dade County on a joint communications
campaign focused on raising awareness about public health resources and
COVID-19 prevention methods.

**The above-referenced letter sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis and State
Surgeon General Scott A. Rivkees is attached.

This press release was produced by the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.