NYU Langone Health, a major New York City hospital system, has put aside Covid-19 vaccination shots for employees of Bloomberg LP, billionaire Michael R. Bloomberg’s financial data and media company.
Bloomberg employees were informed of the agreement in an internal memo on February 16. On Tuesday, when adults aged 30 and over were eligible for vaccination in New York, Bloomberg Human Resources Director Ken Cooper sent a second email to employees on the subject with the subject “* URGENT * Covid-19 Vaccines in New York”.
“NYU Langone has informed us that they are able to provide limited quantities of vaccines to Bloomberg employees who meet the approval requirements on a weekly basis,” Cooper wrote in the email received from the New York Times.
In the email on Tuesday, employees were informed that they would be sent registration instructions after filing a ticket in the company’s financial terminal system. The memo added that only Bloomberg employees were eligible under the plan, not their loved ones.
“Given the complexity of vaccine delivery and distribution, we continue to encourage you to do whatever you can to make an appointment yourself if you are eligible to receive the vaccine,” the email said. “You may find these appointments come in sooner than those made available through NYU.”
A Bloomberg spokesman declined to comment.
Mr Bloomberg has donated billions of dollars to the environment, education, public health, and other causes, including more than $ 3 billion in gifts to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University.
His philanthropic arm has given New York University at least two gifts. The university’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service announced on March 2 that it would receive a $ 25 million donation from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The gift was made for a scholarship on behalf of Mr. Bloomberg’s daughter Georgina and his mother Charlotte. In 2017, Mr Bloomberg’s philanthropic arm donated nearly $ 6 million to set up an environmental law center at New York University School of Law.
NYU Langone Health has “formal corporate partnerships with organizations, school districts and communities that we are the preferred providers offering corporate wellness programs and facilitating access to our services,” a hospital system spokeswoman said in a statement. “Through this partnership, we have helped secure vaccines for Bloomberg employees, who are our patients, in accordance with New York State guidelines.”
“Philanthropy is not tied to NYU Langone’s vaccination programs,” added the spokeswoman. Commenting on Mr. Bloomberg’s March 2 donation, she said, “It is important to note that the gift went to NYU’s Wagner Graduate School. It wasn’t done to NYU Langone Health or NYU Grossman School of Medicine. It was completely independent of our institution. “
New York residents over 30 qualified for the vaccine Tuesday, resulting in a rush to book appointments.
Mr Bloomberg has told his staff that he expects them to return to the office after vaccination. “As soon as vaccines are available, we expect people to use the security they provide and return to the office,” he wrote in a February 2 memo reported by Business Insider. “Any questions? I’m at my desk.”
