Race to Trace Program Expanded to Include COVID-19 Vaccinations

(Miami Beach, FL) May 24, 2021 -

The City of Miami Beach today announced an expansion of its successful Race to Trace program to now include free, on-site, COVID-19 vaccinations for participating Miami Beach hotels, restaurants and other businesses that want to make the life-saving vaccines available to employees and their families.

“This program began as a way to assist the hospitality industry with contact tracing and has evolved into a real partnership among the city, all of its businesses and the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. “The Race to Trace team is now taking vaccines directly to the workplace to make our businesses even safer for visitors and employees.”

Funded under a grant from The Rockefeller Foundation, the program has already provided nearly 70 participating businesses with a dedicated strike team of seasoned contact tracers offering free COVID-19 related services from the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County to better navigate the global pandemic and remain open during difficult circumstances.

“Many of the participating businesses in the Race to Trace program employ low-wage workers who work long hours and might not have access to transportation to get to designated vaccination sites,” said Marina Pravdic, Manager, Communications, Policy, and Advocacy at The Rockefeller Foundation. “Offering vaccines in their places of work is the right way to reach people where they are. It is efficient, and above all else, life-saving.”

The Rockefeller Foundation awarded grants to the City of Miami Beach and Florida Department of Health (FDOH) to further the goals of its National Covid-19 Testing & Tracing Action Plan. The Rockefeller Foundation previously funded the city’s joint resilience strategy and the City of Miami Beach also participates in the Resilient Cities Network.

Participating businesses will have flexibility in selecting a date for the on-site vaccinations based on employee work schedules and the level of interest. The COVID-19 vaccines will be administered by registered nurses or physicians.

“The convenience of offering free COVID-19 vaccines on-site to Miami Beach businesses participating in the Race to Trace program is a significant addition to the other services our team provides,” stated Yesenia Villalta, DNP, MSN, APRN, Health Officer/Administrator of the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County. “This will make it easier for employees to be vaccinated. The partnership of the Rockefeller Foundation, City of Miami Beach, the participating businesses and the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County has provided for another tool to navigate the pandemic.”

For more information, visit www.race2trace.com.

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About The Rockefeller Foundation:
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation, scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, ensuring equitable access to health and nutritious food, unleashing human potential to enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish.  We work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal.  For more information, sign up for our newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @RockefellerFdn