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Maryland Launches ‘No Arm Left Behind’ Vaccine Equity Initiative

Photo | Office of Gov. Hogan

Gov. Larry Hogan announced on Wednesday that the state is launching an initiative called “No Arm Left Behind” which aims to ensure that every Marylander who wants a COVID-19 can get one.

The initiative is an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to help seniors, college students, and employers across the state have access to the vaccine as soon as possible.

Hogan also announced that the state is expanding its no appointment, walkup vaccination lines, and its mobile vaccine clinics. It is also expanding its vaccine support call center and launching a new public service announcement about the safety of vaccines which features physicians from across the state.

 

Getting Seniors, College Students, Workers Vaccinated

As part of the  “No Arm Left Behind” initiative, the state will target zip codes to help each senior receive the vaccine. Hogan said vaccinations have been either completed or scheduled at 98% of all senior housing facilities in the state.

To reach more seniors, the state will directly contact more than 70,000 Medicaid recipients over the age of 50 and help them schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine if they haven’t already done so. Hogan said he signed an executive order which would allow senior centers to reopen “as early as April 30.”

The state is also partnering with the Maryland Higher Education Commission to provide direct outreach to students on college campuses. Mass vaccination sites will set aside appointments specifically for higher education students. There will also be “university day” vaccine appointment slots available at the Greenbelt FEMA site for multiple schools.

The state is also partnering with two HBCUs to provide vaccination clinics at Morgan State University and Bowie State University.

Hogan announced that the initiative creates a partnership between the state and major employers like Southwest Airlines, Exelon, Comcast, and Amazon to create vaccination clinics for essential workers.

“We truly are close to that light at the end of the tunnel. Those of you who have not yet been vaccinated, please go get a vaccine as quickly as you can. Do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it for your friends, and do it so that all of us can put this global pandemic behind us.”

Play-By-Play of Hogan’s ‘No Arm Left Behind’ Presser

Here’s a recap by tweet of Wednesday’s press conference:

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