Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett released the following statement regarding the announcement of a $1.5 million grant for immunizations and vaccines for children in the Virgin Islands:

“Today the U.S. Department 0f Health and Human Services announced a $1,532,685 grant to the Virgin Islands Department of Health Group to ensure that our youth are properly vaccinated and protected from preventable and deadly diseases. This important grant will benefit the Virgin Islands tremendously by ensuring access to quality healthcare for our residents and ensuring that the specific needs of our people are being met.

“It is important that our children are vaccinated because as parents we want to do everything possible to make sure children are healthy and protected from preventable diseases. Vaccination is the best way to do that. Vaccines also protect children from serious avoidable illnesses which can lead to amputations, paralysis of limbs, hearing loss, convulsions, brain damage, and death.

“To this day vaccine-preventable diseases, are still a serious threat. They continue to infect U.S. children, resulting in hospitalizations and deaths every year. We all have a public health commitment to our communities to protect each other and each other’s children by vaccinating our family members.”