First COVID-19 vaccinations at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital (MLKCH)
Media Contact: Please RSVP to Gwen Driscoll: 310-720-4441 or gdriscoll@mlkch.org.
RSVPs are mandatory to ensure social distancing.
What
The news media are invited to attend the first vaccinations of front line staff at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital (MLKCH) will receive 690 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, followed by another 690 21 days later. The vaccine must be administered twice to be effective. MLKCH staff with direct and frequent exposure to patients with COVID-19 will be prioritized, per CDPH guidelines.
Who
MLKCH CEO Dr. Elaine Batchlor and Vice President of Population Health (and infectious disease doctor) Dr. Jorge Reyno (English/Spanish fluency) will be available to media for comment.
When
Thursday, Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Where
Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital
1680 E 120th St, Los Angeles, CA 90059
The hospital’s entrance is directly behind the jigsaw puzzle sculpture.
Parking
Parking is available in the lot directly opposite the hospital’s main entrance. News vans may park in the roundabout with notice to MLKCH: gdriscoll@mlkch.org
Why
MLKCH serves a high-risk, majority-minority population, so it is critical that its first responders are kept healthy. The LA County testing site near MLKCH has higher positivity rates than the county as a whole: 25% versus the county’s 7-day average of 11.4%. This is an indication of the particular vulnerability of the population we serve.