New York, NY (April 19, 2021) – United Way of New York City (UWNYC) today announced it is receiving a $330,000 COVID-19 vaccination grant from the Siemens Foundation to advance vaccine distribution and adoption through its Choose Healthy Life (CHL) initiative. CHL is a partnership with the Black clergy, Quest Diagnostics, and UWNYC in a fight against COVID-19 in Black communities. UWNYC serves as the lead implementation partner with affiliated agencies in Atlanta, Detroit, Newark, and Washington, DC.
“Our work through the Choose Healthy Life initiative makes sure communities who have been most impacted with health disparities – most especially the Black community – have the resources and infrastructure to really change outcomes, not just during the pandemic, but for generations,” said Sheena Wright, President & CEO of UWNYC. “Choose Healthy Life is a proven model of how to activate credible leaders to engage the community. Combined with our and other United Ways’ on-the-ground knowledge and trust in our communities we serve, this grant will help us provide health education, awareness, testing, and vaccination.”
“Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities continue to be disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, and organizations like United Way of New York City, through the Choose Healthy Life initiative, are critical to advancing health equity through vaccine distribution,” said David Etzwiler, CEO of Siemens Foundation. “We are incredibly grateful to work with this organization and their health care workers to support them in their mission.”
Aligning with its commitment to advance health equity, this donation is part of a larger national effort by the Siemens Foundation to provide $1.4 million, including funding from the Siemens Healthineers fund of the Siemens Foundation, to five non-profit organizations across the country that provide direct outreach in Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities most impacted by COVID-19.
For more information about the Siemens Foundation, follow @SFoundation on Twitter or visit siemens-foundation.org.
For more information about Choose Healthy Life, visit https://www.choosehealthylife.org/.
Media inquiries for United Way of New York City can be made by contacting Liane Paonessa, AVP Communications at lpaonessa@uwnyc.org.
About United Way of New York City
United Way of New York City (UWNYC) fights for the self-sufficiency of every low-income New Yorker by taking on the toughest challenges and creating new solutions to old problems. We win by helping families shift from barely surviving to thriving. We unite by mobilizing the best ideas, relevant data, internal and external experts, and resources—from money to manpower. UWNYC maximizes impact by coordinating and aligning organizations, companies, local government, and New Yorkers to help families eliminate tough choices and live better while making ends meet. To learn more, visit: www.unitedwaynyc.org.
About the Siemens Foundation
The Siemens Foundation has invested more than $130 million in the United States to advance equitable workforce development and education initiatives in science, technology, engineering and math. Its mission is inspired by the culture of innovation, research and continuous learning that is the hallmark of Siemens’ companies. The Foundation is committed to economic, social and racial justice for all in the United States, and together the programs at the Siemens Foundation are narrowing the opportunity gap for young people in the U.S. and igniting and sustaining today’s STEM workforce and tomorrow’s scientists and engineers.