Lower Manhattan Council Candidate Helps Seniors Get Vaccines

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Lorna Lable, a senior citizen living in Lower Manhattan, was on the phone day after day trying to get an appointment for her COVID-19 vaccine shot.

She eventually was able to schedule an appointment, but to her dismay — it wasn't until April 15.

"I'm on everybody's list, I had one appointment scheduled in February for April 15, that's absurd," Lable told Patch. "I fit in the age group and I had open-heart surgery. I didn't know why I had to wait until April 15."

Lable explained her vaccine plight to a friend living in Lower Manhattan, who told Lable that she would get her in touch with City Council District 3 candidate Erik Bottcher.

After a mixup with the phone number, Bottcher and Lable got to work finding her a vaccine appointment.

"He called me and said, you need a volunteer and he got me this man who works in finance, I gave him my information, my age, he calls me back in 20 minutes — I have an appointment for you,'" Lable told Patch.

Lable immediately asked the volunteer if he could help a senior citizen friend who lives in her building get a vaccine as well. The friend had an appointment in under an hour.

The network of senior citizen friends and family starting with Lable has reached seven people, all of whom have now received their first vaccine shot.

Lable told Patch that the group is chipping in to send the volunteer a salami from the iconic Katz's Delicatessen deli.

While seven vaccine shots and a salami are quite the results already, Lable's story inspired Bottcher, the long-time Chief of Staff to Speaker Corey Johnson, to do even more.

The Lower Manhattan City Council candidate has created a program to help New Yorkers schedule vaccine appointments.

It consists of a form that residents can fill out to get in contact with a volunteer from Bottcher's campaign who will then help them schedule a vaccine appointment.

“Unfortunately, the appointment system really favors people who are internet savvy, and for people who aren’t — it has been a challenge finding appointments. So that’s where we come in," Bottcher said. "I think it has been far too complicated and cumbersome, I recognize that the main challenge is supply from the federal government, however the appointments websites have been very confusing and not nearly user friendly enough.”

You can find the form here.