New photos show members of the public receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at a New York clinic under criminal investigation for allegedly giving unauthorized doses to the public before frontline healthcare professionals.
The ParCare Community Health Network, which has units in Brooklyn and Orange County, is accused of improperly obtaining 3,500 doses of Moderna vaccine and giving it to members of the public who were not under the state’s first distribution phase.
The health network “may have fraudulently obtained the COVID-19 vaccine, transferred to facilities in other parts of the state in violation of state guidelines and diverted to members of the public,” state health commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement to the press on Saturday.
ParCare shared photos on social media showing the Modern vaccine in refrigerators, but the clinic was not officially listed to receive doses.
The Rabbinical Alliance of America shared photos of ParCare CEO and President Gary Schlesinger receiving the vaccine, although he does not appear to be in a qualifying group, but later deleted it.
According to New York state guidelines, the first to receive the vaccine include high-risk hospital workers, nursing home residents, nursing home staff, congregation residents and long-term care staff, and coroners and medical examiners – not the elderly or those with existing preconditions.
Gary Schlesinger, the CEO and President of the ParCare Healthcare Network based in Brooklyn, New York, pictured above receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The health network is under investigation for allegedly improperly obtaining the vaccines and distributing them to the public
Mark Appel, a well-known nonprofit leader who has served on the board of the city’s Health and Hospitals Corp, was one of the first to receive the vaccine at ParCare. He said, ‘If Gary got the shots first, God bless him. The state must investigate why it cannot vaccinate more people quickly enough ‘
On the fridge: ParCare shared this photo on December 21 showing refrigerated doses of the COVID-19 vaccine
Other photos and videos on social media show a group of rabbis and Jewish leaders being vaccinated in some of the six ParCare locations.
ParCare said it received 3,500 doses of Moderna vaccine, local news BoroPark24 reported December 21, and Schlesinger said he predicted that 500 people would be vaccinated that day at his Boro Park clinic.
“Hundreds of patients have already been vaccinated today and people are still arriving,” he told the news site.
However, the Parcare network is not among the facilities listed as a state-designated vaccination center.
On a Facebook page linking to one of their Brooklyn locations, they posted on December 16 to say they were ‘allowed to distribute #CovidVaccine to people who meet certain criteria’.
It is not clear how Schlesinger obtained the vaccine.
On December 21, ParCare, which has six locations, posted that it received the COVID-19 vaccine, although the clinic was not officially listed to receive doses
ParCare reportedly gave doses to people in the public who did not fit the state’s first wave of vaccine distribution. In phase one, the vaccine should be restricted to high-risk healthcare professionals and residents and asylum teams
ParCare has created a website where residents can register for the vaccine. Schlesinger said those who wish to obtain it must be over 60 or have underlying conditions and will obtain it on a first come, first served basis – a violation of state rules.
It is not clear how Schlesinger obtained the vaccine
‘Once you are on the list, we have to check to make sure that you are a health professional, over 60 or have underlying diseases. We will not give the vaccine to people who are not eligible for this first batch of vaccines, ”said Schlesinger.
The vaccine should be free, but the ParCare website asks those interested in being vaccinated to provide their insurance information.
Schlesinger is a prominent figure in the New York Orthodox Jewish community with ties to Blasio’s mayor, Attorney General Letitia James, Brooklyn district attorney Eric Gonzalez and Brooklyn district president and candidate for mayor Eric Adams, according with the New York Post.
Borough Park, where the ParCare clinic that received the doses of Moderna is located, is the same area where protests broke out in the fall condemning Mayor Bill De Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s COVID-19 safety guidelines, where members of the Orthodox Jewish community challenged the use of masks.
Schlesinger photographed raising his fist in front of a ParCare sign
On Saturday, ParCare released a statement that it complied with state vaccine distribution guidelines and is cooperating in the investigation
“We take this very seriously and DOH will be assisting the State Police in a criminal investigation into the matter,” said Zucker.
“Anyone found to have consciously participated in this scheme will be held accountable to the full extent of the law,” he added.
On Saturday, ParCare released a statement that it complied with the state’s vaccine distribution guidelines and is cooperating in the investigation.
‘During these unprecedented times, we have endeavored to provide essential health services and administer COVID-19 vaccines to those qualified to receive them under New York State Department of Health guidelines, which include health care professionals from first line and first responders.
‘Parcare Community Health Network has a long history of partnering with New York City to provide vital health services to New Yorkers who need them most – including providing COVID-19 tests
“As we actively cooperate with the New York State Department of Health on this issue, we will continue to provide high quality health services to help New York out of this pandemic,” the clinic said in a statement.
The health care network ‘may have fraudulently obtained the COVID-19 vaccine, transferred to facilities in other parts of the state in violation of state guidelines and diverted to members of the public,’ said state health commissioner Howard Zucker (above)
Parcare posted on December 16 to say it had been “authorized to distribute #CovidVaccine to people who meet certain criteria”, but are not officially listed
View of the Parcare Health & Medical Center at Monroe in Orange County. The chain also has locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan that received doses of the vaccine
Mark Appel, a well-known nonprofit leader who has served on the board of the city’s Health and Hospitals Corp, was one of the first to receive the vaccine at the ParCare clinic.
He said there is nothing wrong with him catching him because he is diabetic and spends time in hospitals for his charity called The Bridge.
– I don’t feel bad for doing it. I’m there every day helping people on the front lines, ‘he told the New York Daily News.
Appel defended Schlesinger for getting the vaccine before other health organizations, saying: ‘If Gary got the vaccines first, God bless him. The state must investigate why they cannot vaccinate more people quickly enough. ‘
According to its website, the provider is’ a multi-specialty center that provides services such as primary care, internal medicine, dermatology, physiotherapy and pediatrics; helping our patients maintain optimal health and prevent potential illnesses. ‘
This would be the first case of fraud in relation to the vaccine’s launch in New York since the distribution began on December 15.
It is not clear what penalties Parcare can face if it is found guilty of fraud.
Moderna was contacted for comment, but had not yet responded.
On Wednesday, the last time an update was given, 89,000 New Yorkers have already received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to a statement, 22,000 doses were administered at 90 facilities in nursing homes.
On Saturday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state was ‘vaccinating New Yorkers as soon as possible’.
As of Sunday, there were more than 914,500 cases of COVID-19 in the state of New York and more than 29,300 deaths.
Across the country, 18.9 million Americans were infected with coronavirus and 331,900 deaths occurred.