NBC10 and Telemundo62 team up with NJ and PA Health Departments for Vaccine Phone Bank

NBC10 and Telemundo62 are teaming up with the New Jersey Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Health for a bilingual, vaccine phone bank on Wednesday, April 28, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET. Medical staff from the NJ and PA health departments will be on-hand to answer viewer questions and concerns regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Assistance will be available in both English and Spanish.

“As the Latino community continues to be underrepresented among those vaccinated for COVID-19, our stations decided to partner with the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Health Departments to host a bilingual, informational phone bank,” said Elizabeth Flores, Vice President of News for NBC10 and Telemundo62. “Our goal is to help demystify fears and uncertainty about the vaccine to viewers by providing direct access to medical experts in English and Spanish."

"We are excited to be part of this multi-channel initiative and phone bank with NBC10 and Telemundo62 to help bring important information on the COVID-19 vaccines and appointments to their audiences," said New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. "The Department's Call Center stands ready to assist Spanish-language and other callers to help register them and make appointments for vaccines in New Jersey as well as answer any questions they may have. We are committed to ensuring that anyone who lives, works or studies in New Jersey and wants the vaccine to be able to get one."

Following the two-hour phone bank, Telemundo62 will host a live, digital forum from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET on Telemundo62.com and Facebook Live. The bilingual forum will be moderated by Telemundo62 investigative reporter Yaima Crespo and feature medical experts with the Health Departments, including:

• Andrea Martinez-Mejia, Chief of Staff, New Jersey Department of Health
• Amanda Medina-Forrester, Executive Director, Office of Minority and Multicultural Health, New Jersey Department of Health
• Dr. Meg Fisher, Special Advisor to the Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Health
• Dr. Denise Johnson, Pennsylvania Acting Physician General, Pennsylvania Department of Health
• Dr. Natalia Ortiz-Torrent, Medical Director, Consultation and Liaison Psychiatry, Temple University Hospital

“The pandemic has created great hardship and anxiety in Latino families face language barriers and limited access to health care and information. There is so much information – and misinformation – out there about vaccines and it can be overwhelming to try figuring it out on your own,” said Luz B. Colón, Executive Director to the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs. “The Pennsylvania Governor’s Latino Affairs Commission is thrilled to partner with NBC10 and Telemundo62 to provide reliable and trustworthy information for those who may still have questions about the vaccine.”

NBC10 and Telemundo62 will announce the toll-free numbers at 5 p.m. on April 28. The phone bank will be open from 5-7 p.m. ET. The digital forum will be live from 7-7:30 p.m. and will be available for on-demand viewing on the stations’ digital and OTT platforms.

“We are committed to ensuring that all individuals, no matter where they live, work or what language they speak, have the most up to date information on COVID-19 vaccines,” Pennsylvania Department of Health Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson said. “We thank NBC10, Telemundo62 and the New Jersey Department of Health for their support and partnership in this initiative. Good information leads to good decisions, so this partnership is another way we are equipping residents with accurate information to combat vaccine hesitancy and dispel any mistruths or rumors. We are eager to help answer any questions about the vaccine to instill confidence in the vaccination process and remind everyone that vaccines are safe, effective and bring us one step closer to ending this pandemic.”