Dignitaries Tour Ulster Vaccine Distribution Site

KINGSTON – Recently, U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado (NY-19) met with Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, Deputy County Executive John Milgrim, Kingston City School District Superintendent Dr. Paul Padalino, and Director of COVID-19 Operations for Ulster County Dan Proctor at the Kate Walton Field House at Kingston High School, Ulster County’s primary vaccine distribution site. The conversation focused on the urgent need for federal COVID-19 funding, Ulster County vaccination capacity, and community partnerships to protect public health during the coronavirus crisis.

“Ulster County urgently requires federal COVID-19 funds to both expedite vaccine supply and reimburse partners like Kingston City School District for vaccination distribution costs,” said Rep. Antonio Delgado. “Under the leadership of County Executive Pat Ryan, Ulster County has the capacity to vaccinate tens of thousands of residents. However, without federal reimbursement, County coffers will quickly dry. My bipartisan bill, the Direct Support for Communities Act, would deliver COVID-19 funding to counties, towns, and villages – ensuring local governments can vaccinate Americans while maintaining critical services. I thank County Executive Ryan, Deputy County Executive Milgrim, Superintendent Padalino, and Director Proctor for sharing their perspective and discussing Ulster County’s vaccine needs with me. Coordination between Ulster County executives and Superintendent Padalino is strong and will ensure residents can access COVID-19 vaccines safely and securely. I will keep pushing for the swift passage of the Direct Support for Communities Act.”

“While we have the capacity to vaccinate 50,000 of our residents in a month, we have only received 5,500 does in the last four weeks across the County. Ulster County has done our part to get the distribution aspect ready, but now we need our partners at the state and federal level to get our supply ramped up. I want to thank Congressman Delgado for visiting our Kingston POD site and advocating for federal COVID-19 funds to support the County’s vaccination efforts and ramping up our vaccine supply immediately. I look forward to continuing to work closely together to ensure we can meet the needs of our shared residents,” said Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan.

“It was great to have Congressman Delgado on our campus to visit the Ulster County COVID 19 Vaccination POD. The collaboration between Ulster County and the Kingston City School District has created a venue that can provide the efficient, effective and equitable distribution of the COVID 19 vaccine to our entire community. I greatly appreciate the Congressman hearing our concerns about vaccine availability and carrying that message back to Washington. Working together, we can overcome this devastating virus,” said Kingston City School District Superintendent Dr. Paul Padalino.

Representative Antonio Delgado’s bipartisan Direct Support for Communities Act was included in two COVID-19 relief packages that passed the House in 2020. His bill would ensure that all communities, regardless of population size, receive direct federal funding to assist with lost revenues and other expenses incurred as a result of the pandemic. Rep. Delgado recently reintroduced the legislation and is urging its inclusion in the next COVID-19 relief package under the new administration.