On Friday, Jan. 29, a few Rochester-area media organizations reported that some board members, donors, alumni, and others were inappropriately sent advance notice of a COVID-19 employee vaccine clinic on January 14 and 15. Although these individuals met New York State’s eligibility requirements, they should not have been given priority notice for this or any other URMC clinic. As soon as URMC leadership was made aware of this effort, they suspended it. Since the Medical Center began COVID vaccinations in December, the URMC vaccination program – together with the Finger Lakes Regional Vaccine Hub – has been committed to ensuring that the vaccine is distributed equitably and in strict accordance with the eligibility guidance provided by New York State. These efforts include vaccinating eligible individuals from traditionally underserved urban areas through URMC’s downtown clinic, vaccinating individuals unable to travel to vaccine clinic locations through a mobile vaccination unit, and staffing the Finger Lakes Vaccination Hub itself.
In response to Friday’s news reports, University President Sarah Mangelsdorf and URMC CEO Mark Taubman jointly issued a message of acknowledgement and apology to the University of Rochester community, and reaffirmed the University’s commitment to efficient and equitable vaccination program.