Race-to-Trace-Program-Expanded-to-Include-COVID-19-Vaccinations
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
OFFICE OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, Tel: 305.673.7575 PRESS RELEASE
Tonya Daniels, E-mail: tonyadaniels@miamibeachfl.gov
Melissa Berthier, E-mail: melissaberthier@miamibeachfl.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2021
Race to Trace Program Expanded to Include COVID-19 Vaccinations
— Free vaccinations will be offered at participating Miami Beach hotels, restaurants and
other businesses —
Miami Beach, FL – The City of Miami Beach today announced an expansion of its successful
Race to Trace program to now include free, on-site, COVID-19 vaccinations for participating
Miami Beach hotels, restaurants and other businesses that want to make the life-saving
vaccines available to employees and their families.
“This program began as a way to assist the hospitality industry with contact tracing and has
evolved into a real partnership among the city, all of its businesses and the Florida Department
of Health in Miami-Dade County,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. “The Race to Trace
team is now taking vaccines directly to the workplace to make our businesses even safer for
visitors and employees.”
Funded under a grant from The Rockefeller Foundation, the program has already provided
nearly seventy participating businesses with a dedicated strike team of seasoned contact
tracers offering free COVID-19 related services from the Florida Department of Health in
Miami-Dade County to better navigate the global pandemic and remain open during difficult
circumstances.
“Many of the participating businesses in the Race to Trace program employ low-wage workers
who work long hours and might not have access to transportation to get to designated
vaccination sites,” said Marina Pravdic, Manager, Communications, Policy, and Advocacy at
The Rockefeller Foundation. “Offering vaccines in their places of work is the right way to reach
people where they are. It is efficient, and above all else, life-saving.”
The Rockefeller Foundation awarded grants to the City of Miami Beach and Florida
Department of Health (FDOH) to further the goals of its National Covid-19 Testing & Tracing
Action Plan. The Rockefeller Foundation previously funded the city’s joint resilience strategy
and the City of Miami Beach also participates in the Resilient Cities Network.
Participating businesses will have flexibility in selecting a date for the on-site vaccinations
based on employee work schedules and the level of interest. The COVID-19 vaccines will be
administered by registered nurses or physicians.
“The convenience of offering free COVID-19 vaccines on-site to Miami Beach businesses
participating in the Race to Trace program is a significant addition to the other services our
team provides,” stated Yesenia Villalta, DNP, MSN, APRN, Health Officer/Administrator of the
Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County. “This will make it easier for employees to
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
be vaccinated. The partnership of the Rockefeller Foundation, City of Miami Beach, the
participating businesses and the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County has
provided for another tool to navigate the pandemic.”
For more information, visit www.race2trace.com.
###
About The Rockefeller Foundation:
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at
the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation, scaling renewable energy for all,
stimulating economic mobility, ensuring equitable access to health and nutritious food,
unleashing human potential to enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We
work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal. For more
information, sign up for our newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on
Twitter @RockefellerFdn
Media Contacts
Ashley Chang
achang@rockfound.org
212.852.0000
To request this material in alternate format, sign language interpreter (five-day notice required), information on access for persons with disabilities, and/or any accommodation to review any document or participate in
any city-sponsored proceedings, call 305.604.2489 and select 1 for English or 2 for Spanish, then option 6; TTY users may call via 711 (Florida Relay Service).