SOMOS Community Care Vaccinates Governor Cuomo At Mt. Neboh Baptist Church In Harlem

Today, SOMOS Chairman Dr. Ramon Tallaj of NYC’s leading physician-led healthcare network on the forefront of vaccinating lower-income communities of color.

Released the following statement celebrating the vaccination of Governor Andrew Cuomo at a SOMOS vaccination site located within a Black church in one of the hardest-hit communities by the pandemic.

“As a doctor who has worked since day one of this pandemic to ensure vulnerable, low income, immigrant communities of color do not fall through the cracks of traditional healthcare systems, I am proud of just how far we’ve come in our effort to bring the Vaccine of Hope into our neighborhoods. To drive vaccinations among Black, Brown, and Asian New Yorkers, we at SOMOS are charged with both fighting disinformation and advocating for increased supply, access, and vaccination infrastructure in the communities that need us. We are grateful for our ongoing collaboration with Governor Cuomo, who recognizes our urgency and the ability of our network to do what we do best: serve the underserved, treat our own neighborhoods, and vaccinate the members of our hardest-hit communities.

“Today, we joined hands as African American, Asian, and Latino leaders to celebrate the vaccination of Governor Andrew Cuomo at a SOMOS vaccination site located at Mt. Neboh Baptist Church, a historic Black church in one of the communities hardest hit by the pandemic. Sites like these are critical to getting those lifesaving vaccines into arms and making sure hesitant New Yorkers feel safe and comfortable. We were honored to vaccinate the Governor, just as honored as we have been to vaccinate the maintenance worker, grocery store clerk, delivery person, teacher, and frontline worker. Since the beginning of this pandemic, our members have stood on the frontlines to combat this virus. Today and every day, we will continue our work vaccinating and always fight to ensure equal access to quality care for all New Yorkers by empowering the community doctors of color who have served local families for generations.”

SOMOS sits on Governor Cuomo’s Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution and Implementation Task Force and Vaccine Equity Task Force.

SOMOS and SOMOS US form the foundation of an innovative, value-based care network of over 2,500 diverse physicians and health care providers serving nearly 1 million people in New York City.

SOMOS has created a new model of quality, preventative health care on behalf of the most underserved communities of the United States, a model based on cultural competency, increased access, and the ability of community-based medicine to successfully address the social determinants of health.

SOMOS is the shared vision of Dr. Ramon Tallaj and Henry R. Muñoz, III, a doctor, and a designer, working together to create institutional change.

This year, SOMOS doctors and health care workers have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis since our Latino and Asian doctors working in the neighborhoods of New York saw the escalating illness and mortality rates in the inner city.

SOMOS established over 60 trilingual testing sites, in New York, Florida, Texas, and Georgia, and is providing treatment, health education, and millions of meals to those who need to care the most.

SOMOS commissioned the first national polling data on the impact of this pandemic on the health, economic and educational wellbeing of the Latino Community in the United States.