Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and Dr. Raj Brahmbhatt today announced that the City of Hoboken and Riverside Medical Group have partnered to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to healthcare workers residing in Hoboken and Hudson County. Riverside Medical Group will begin administering vaccines provided by the State of New Jersey at Riverside’s medical office at 1111 Hudson Street to Hoboken and Hudson County healthcare workers who fall into the 1A category identified by the State.
All Hoboken healthcare workers in the 1A category are invited to schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine in Hoboken by signing up online at http://www.hobokennj.gov/vaccine. Riverside staff will then call back with an appointment following the online sign-up. Hudson County healthcare employees can call Riverside at 201-942-9314 between 8 am and 7 pm on weekdays.
“I’m thrilled Riverside has opened up a COVID-19 vaccination site in Hoboken,” said Mayor Bhalla. “Hoboken is committed to ensuring Riverside can administer as many vaccines as possible to our courageous healthcare workers who have gone above and beyond to keep our residents safe throughout the pandemic. We look forward to expanding this program with Riverside and our partners to vaccinate as many people, as efficiently as possible in the weeks and months to come.”
“We at Riverside Medical Group are proud to be one of the first medical providers in New Jersey to provide healthcare workers the vaccine we’ve all been waiting for,” said Dr. Brahmbhatt. “Riverside began the COVID-19 pandemic by opening one of the east coast’s first public, rapid COVID-19 testing sites in Hoboken, and we’re now doing our part to vaccinate all New Jersey healthcare workers who need it. We look forward to partnering with Hoboken and our neighboring communities to provide even more vaccine sites to the public in the near future.”
The State of New Jersey has identified healthcare workers falling into the 1A category as “paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials and long-term care residents and staff”. Healthcare workers must bring identification and proof of classification as a healthcare worker at the time of vaccination at Riverside.
After the initial phase of vaccinating healthcare workers in the 1A category, Riverside and Hoboken anticipate working with the State of New Jersey and the New Jersey Department of Health to utilize public facilities in Hoboken to administer the Moderna vaccine for expanded populations. Certain Riverside locations have been approved by the New Jersey Department of Health to administer the vaccine in accordance with the specifications and guidelines issued by the State.
For Hoboken and Hudson County residents falling into the 1A category who would like to receive the Moderna vaccine at Riverside Medical Group’s other New Jersey locations, please call 201-863-3346 between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday. For a list of Riverside’s locations in New Jersey, please visit: https://www.riversidemedgroup.com/adult-medicine-locations/.
Who are “healthcare personnel” in Phase 1A?
Healthcare personnel are paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials.
This includes any type of worker within a healthcare setting. Examples include, but are not limited to:
· Licensed healthcare professionals like doctors, nurses, pharmacists and dentists
· Staff like receptionists, janitors, clergy, mortuary services, laboratory technicians
· Consultants, per diem, and contractors who are not directly employed by the facility
· Unpaid workers like health professional students, trainees, volunteers and essential caregivers
· Community health workers, doulas, and public health professionals like Medical Reserve Corps
· Personnel with variable venues like EMS, paramedics, funeral staff, and autopsy workers
· Other paid or unpaid people who work in a healthcare setting, who may have direct or indirect contact with infectious persons or materials, and who cannot work from home.
Who are “unpaid” health workers?
Persons who work within a healthcare setting, but are not paid. These include, but are not limited to health professional students, trainees, volunteers and essential caregivers.
What are “healthcare settings” in Phase 1A?
Examples include, but are not limited to:
· Acute, pediatric, and behavioral health hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers
· Health facilities like rehabilitation facilities, psychiatric facilities and Federally Qualified Health Centers
· Clinic-based settings like urgent care clinics, dialysis centers and family planning sites
· Long-term care settings like nursing homes, assisted living facilities, group homes, and others
· Occupational-based healthcare settings like health clinics within workplaces, shelters, jails, colleges and universities, and K-12 schools
· Community-based healthcare settings like PACE and Adult Living Community Nursing
· Home-based settings like hospice, home care, and visiting nurse services
· Office-based healthcare settings like physician and dental offices
· Public health settings like health departments, LINCS agencies, harm reduction centers and medical marijuana programs
· Retail, independent and institutional pharmacies
