The COVID-19 pandemic brought technology to the forefront to ensure continued delivery of many vital government services. When the pandemic first hit, DoITT kicked into high gear to keep City services running for New Yorkers. These efforts included:
DoITT's important work continues now that vaccines are available, and the rollout is underway.
VAX4NYC
DoITT worked with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to replace their vaccine scheduling system. The new system, which can be found at www.nyc.gov/vax4nyc, is intuitive and easy to use. New Yorkers can schedule vaccination appointments in minutes, and the site has been human translated into 10 languages for accessibility.
The system also manages every aspect of a patient's vaccination from the time they create an initial appointment through to completion of their second dose. That is because the other piece of the system powers the operations at the vaccination sites, including patient check-in, screening, sending a record of the vaccination to the City's Immunization Registry, and scheduling of second dose appointments.
This platform powers many temporary locations, with targeted outreach at houses of worship and NYCHA developments, as well as dozens of community-based organizations, which schedule residents of the hardest hit communities through reserved appointments. It is now also being offered to all vaccine providers citywide and has been adopted as the basis for the City’s mandated unified scheduling system.
To prevent New Yorkers without an internet connection from being disadvantage, DoITT also helped set up a vaccine call center. New Yorkers can also schedule an appointment by calling 877-VAX-4NYC.
COVID-19 Vaccine Finder
COVID-19 vaccine distribution began with an uncoordinated patchwork of providers. To help New Yorkers make sense of what it all, DoITT's created nyc.gov/vaccinefinder, an interactive site that has become a one-stop shop where eligible New Yorkers can find the closest vaccine provider to them and book an appointment with one click of a button.
The site has real time information on the availability of appointments for hundreds of sites citywide, including City, State, and private provider locations, and includes information about which vaccine is being distributed, what restrictions apply, and even offers directions.