Team Rubicon, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Student Veterans of America (SVA), Team Red, White & Blue, The Mission Continues, and Wounded Warrior Project join forces to assist local and state officials in vaccination distribution
Los Angeles, CA (February 3, 2021)—Six leading veterans organizations—Team Rubicon, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Student Veterans of America (SVA), Team Red, White & Blue, The Mission Continues, and Wounded Warrior Project —today announced the creation of the Veterans Coalition for Vaccination (VCV), a coalition aiding local and state officials in distributing the COVID-19 vaccine nationwide. The participating veteran organizations are working toward the common goal of ensuring each American who wants the vaccine has equitable access to it.
The past year has already strained medical systems and resources, and vaccination distribution adds another layer of logistical complexity. By providing the resources and operational expertise of a million-strong-veteran coalition, the VCV will assist in ensuring access to vaccinations. This nationwide network of volunteers will allow the coalition to support vaccination requests from major cities to rural communities. A centralized volunteer management system has been established to streamline opportunities across the country.
Services to augment vaccination distribution and reduce the demands on healthcare workers include site setup and management, logistics support, providing healthcare workers to supplement hospital staff, and—where appropriate—administration of the vaccine.
“President Biden described the fight against COVID-19 as a wartime undertaking; the Veterans Coalition for Vaccination agrees and will do our part. Bringing together six veterans organizations to create a first-of-its-kind coalition to assist in vaccine distribution will help our communities recover and rebuild from the pandemic,” says Art delaCruz, founding VCV member and President and COO, Team Rubicon. “Veterans took an oath to serve the country and are now finding impactful ways to continue our service at home. And today, our calling is to aid in vaccination efforts.”
Doubling down on its commitment to encourage Americans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the VCV is also joining forces with the global advertising technology company Amobee and AdTechCares, an advertising industry coalition launched by Amobee in March 2020 with more than 50 partners. AdTechCares recently developed a Public Service Announcement (PSA) ad campaign to combat misinformation about the spread of COVID-19, and will now pivot to work with VCV to deliver an ad campaign ensuring credible information about vaccine efficacy is delivered across the United States. – Now with a greater sense of urgency, the VCV is looking for veterans to put on a new uniform and continue to serve. For more information, please visit https://theveteranscoalition.com
For press inquiries for the Veterans Coalition for Vaccination:
Joy Moh
Head of Communications, Team Rubicon
Joy.moh@teamrubiconusa.org
Founding Member Media Contacts:
Hannah Sinoway
Executive Vice President, Organization Strategy & Engagement, IAVA
hannah@iava.org
Ryan Rabac
VP, Communications & Marketing, SVA
ryan.rabac@studentveterans.org
Margaret Britten
Marketing Manager, Team RWB
margaret.britten@teamrwb.org
Laura L’Esperance
SVP, External Affairs, The Mission Continues
llesperance@missioncontinues.org
Kelly Brockmeier
Director of PR & Social Media, Wounded Warrior Project
kbrockmeier@woundedwarriorproject.org
Nick Lashinsky
Director of Communications, Amobee
nick.lashinsky@amobee.com