arrow The Brookdale University Medical Center line Fred Mogul / Gothamist / WNYC
Freezing weather couldn’t stop 77-year-old Betsey Smith from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, even though it meant waiting more than two hours outside Brookdale University Medical Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn. She was one of hundreds of people on line. It s not too bad you just have to move your legs to keep warm, said Smith, an African-American woman who lives in nearby East New York. I know some people say they re not going to take this COVID vaccine, but I think it s important.”
In a bid to aid equitable access and combat vaccine hesitancy, Brookdale is trying an open-line approach rather than the pre-registered appointments system used by other hospitals.