Op-Ed: Remembering those lost, improving vaccine access

The Island Now

From the onset of when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic the Legislative majority has made the health, safety and protection of those who live and work in Nassau County a top priority.

Throughout the pandemic, the Legislature continued to meet and pass emergency measures and funding. Our offices have assisted thousands of residents and our majority has advocated for policies and programs to help those struggling as a result of this deadly disease.

Sadly, here in Nassau County more than 3,000 lives have been lost to COVID-19. To honor and remember those who have perished from the pandemic, the Legislative majority recently spearheaded two initiatives.

The first involved unanimously passing legislation to establish a permanent memorial at Eisenhower Park with a goal of having the memorial in place later this year. That bill has been sent to the county executive for her signature. Secondly, a vigil service attended by governmental and religious leaders was held on March 22 to remember those our county has lost.

Eisenhower Park is a fitting location to create a memorial to remember and mourn the loved ones who succumbed to COVID-19. We can never take away the pain that the families of victims of the pandemic have suffered but we can make sure that their memories will live on.

This memorial will help serve that purpose. Likewise, the vigil service provided an additional way to pay tribute to all of those who have passed from the virus, including the thousands who have died in Nassau County alone.

It is gratifying to acknowledge two other proposals that we advocated for have finally come to fruition, one being the opening of the Nassau Coliseum to serve as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site and the other a dedicated phone number (516-227-9590) for seniors to call to make vaccine appointments.

For months my colleagues in the Legislative majority and I called on the state and the county executive to open a site at the Nassau Coliseum. Likewise, we requested a dedicated line for seniors be created after hearing from so many who were struggling with the challenges of making their appointments online.

Now with both of these provisions in place, more of our residents will have access to the vaccine, especially those who are most vulnerable. Nassau County is also maintaining a pre-registration list for those eligible to receive the vaccine. For those interested in signing up, please visit: https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/vaccine.

We are all encouraged by the increased flow of vaccines and the increasing numbers of our residents who have been vaccinated. While we are not out of the woods yet, there’s a sense of optimism that better days are on the horizon. In the meantime, we will continue to look for ways to address COVID-19 that will yield positive results for all of us.

Richard J. Nicolello
Presiding Officer
Nassau County Legislature

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