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Congressman McGovern Tours UMass Amherst COVID Vaccine Clinic
UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy hosted U.S. Congressman James P. McGovern today for a tour of the university’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic in the Campus Center, which has distributed nearly 15,000 vaccines to the public since its opening Jan. 11, 2021.
McGovern, who serves as chairman of the House Rules Committee, praised UMass and the chancellor “for the incredible job you are doing in responding to the needs of the community with this vaccine clinic, and for working to ensure that the relief funding that Congress has distributed to UMass is passed along to students and is used to keep tuition costs stable next year, which is a big deal.”
He also said, “I also want to thank Ann Becker and Jeff Hescock, the co-directors of the Public Health Promotion Center, who have done an outstanding job setting up and running the testing and vaccination clinics here on campus.”
McGovern emphasized the importance of getting shots in arms, saying that the recently enacted American Rescue Plan “invests in a coordinated, nationwide vaccine program so we can get more vaccines distributed to clinics like this, not just here in Amherst but across America.”
Subbaswamy observed, “As the Congressman toured the center, it was great to see him interacting with our nursing students. We thank him for taking the time to visit and witness the flagship campus at work, serving the commonwealth.”
The chancellor also expressed thanks to McGovern for the recent passage of the American Recovery Act. He noted, “I say, with a deep sense of pride, that it was Congressman McGovern – along with his colleagues in the Massachusetts federal delegation – who led this effort from his post as chair of the powerful Rules Committee. We are truly grateful for the relief being felt across the country, including much-needed funding for UMass Amherst.”