Uplifting piano plays. Rain drops splatter against a metal panel in a cement sidewalk. A blue placard appears at the bottom-left corner of the view.
Onscreen text: Essen Health Care
Bronx, NY
A few people gather beneath a UnitedHealthcare labeled canopy tent strung with white and blue balloons. Two women in face masks sort through a pile of cardboard boxes on a table. A woman in a rain poncho and face mask lifts a box from a pile, as another person in a rain poncho works beside her. A line of people waits nearby in the rain.
JUSTIN: I had already made one appointment for a vaccine…
Now a person with glasses and a beard interviews, wearing a face mask and a hoodie.
Onscreen text: Justin Muriel
Bronx, NY resident
JUSTIN: …but then I had a money difficulty, so I couldn’t get my MetroCard to go.
The view focuses on the feet of the people waiting in line.
JUSTIN: Then when I was walking back I saw the stand outside.
A man hands a red Essen Healthcare bag to another person.
MAN: Goodbye. Have a good day.
Justin waits at a table in a room with a wooden door and white walls.
JUSTIN: And then it worked because they gave me food too, and the vaccine, so actually it was like perfect timing.
A doctor holding a needle affixes a band-aid to Justin’s exposed shoulder.
MIKE: We are here today in the Bronx.
The view hovers next to a street sign at an intersection, a red stone apartment building in the background.
Onscreen text: St Anns Av
E 138 St
A man rides a small white bike past an A-frame sign advertising COVID-19 vaccinations.
MIKE: When we think about what people need and social determinants of health, so we’re out here giving out food to folks.
A crowd gathers beneath a white UnitedHealthcare canopy tent, then people behind a table hand out red grocery bags and cardboard boxes full of food to a line of people passing by.
MIKE: We’re also giving people the opportunity to get COVID testing, as well as COVID vaccines.
Pigeons strut along the ground next to an A-frame sign advertising COVID-19 walk-in testing. Now a doctor wearing black rubber gloves picks up a needle from a countertop. A vaccine vial of clear liquid sits on the counter in front of him.
MIKE: Part of distributing the vaccine is people getting access to it and making the access easy to do it, right.
A middle-aged man with blue eyes and brown hair combed to the side interviews.
Onscreen text: Mike McGuire
CEO, UnitedHealthcare of New York
MIKE: You know, they’re not gonna travel somewhere to get to it. So we wanted to do it right here in the community.
A glowing hand on a pedestrian signal flashes.
MIKE: Right where they come to Essen every day, their healthcare provider, and partner with them…
An awning extends from a white Essen van. Beneath the awning, a man in a baseball cap talks to an Essen worker in a blue jacket, who stands behind a table. Now a man in a red and blue hoodie with glasses and curly hair sits in a chair next to a nurse practitioner in a lab coat, who clicks through pages on a computer.
MIKE: Because it’s important that they get the vaccine.
The nurse practitioner sticks a band-aid to the man’s arm, then the man rolls down his sleeve. Now a man in a suit with glasses and a mask printed with the Essen Health Care logo interviews.
Onscreen text: Dr. Sumir Sahgal
Founder and CMO, Essen Health Care
SUMIR: This community has suffered so much because of COVID. People have lost jobs, and this poverty level has got worse.
People with umbrellas walk down a street lined with several shops adorned with colorful signs.
SUMIR: Food has been difficult for many families.
A woman hands a red grocery bag printed with the Essen Health Care logo over a table to another woman, who places it in a rolling basket.
SUMIR: So it has created food scarcity, homelessness…
A stack of carboard boxes feature pictures of bowls of food. The woman with the cap and rain poncho places a cardboard box in a grocery bag. Sumir and Mike stand next to each other and talk to people passing by them at their stand.
SUMIR: This food is part of the biggest component that is needed in the community right now, of course along with vaccinations.
Sun shines down on a red brick building with several fire escapes. People walk past an Essen Healthcare clinic with a UnitedHealthcare canopy tent out front.
SUMIR: We are within a mile of any Bronx resident and we’re using our access points to reach out to the community and help them.
The view peers up at red brick buildings from around a corner. Now a nurse practitioner with glasses and a white lab coat interviews.
Onscreen text: Mezeguerre Alexandre
Family Nurse Practitioner, Essen Health Care
MEZEGUERRE: Some of the people who told me they would never get vaccinated, I’ve given the vaccine to them already.
A smiling patient in a baseball cap sits next to Mezeguerre’s desk, sleeve rolled up, as Mezeguerre sticks a band-aid on his arm.
MEZEGUERRE: Felicidades.
PATIENT: Gracias.
MEZEGUERRE: Okay.
The patient claps, and they both laugh.
MEZEGUERRE: The fact that there’s food, you get to be more social, you can have a second to actually ask questions.
Women pack the food boxes into grocery bags. A car drives past the A-frame sign advertising the vaccine. Mezeguerre interviews.
MEZEGUERRE: Many people, even up until now, are unfortunately still dying from COVID.
The blur of a passing car obscures a bright blue Essen Healthcare clinic sign for a moment.
MEZEGUERRE: It feels pretty good to be able to do something to help prevent it and to help stop COVID from spreading further.
Helpers chatter as they hand grocery bags to people passing the stand. Now Justin sits in Mezeguerre’s office and claps.
JUSTIN: It’s like an extra protection. It feels empowering.
A blue logo shaped like overlapping U’s appears on a white background before being replaced by blue text.
Onscreen text: United
Healthcare