Cooper University Health Care — eager to get a higher percentage of the population in Camden and South Jersey vaccinated, is partnering with the Philadelphia 76ers to create a video public service announcement to raise awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The 76ers play in Philadelphia but practice and make their corporate home in Camden.
Cooper co-CEO Kevin O’Dowd said the system is grateful for the help.
“We are excited to work with the 76ers, our Camden neighbor, to educate everyone on both the safety and benefits of receiving the vaccine,” he said. “We are grateful to the players, coaches and the entire Sixers organization for their support of Cooper and their commitment to our vaccine education efforts.”
As the number of people signing up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starts to decline, O’Dowd said public awareness campaigns like this will add more voices to help persuade those who may still be hesitant to get the vaccine.
Co-CEO Anthony Mazzarelli agreed.
“Everyone wants to get back to normal, and the way to do that is to have enough people receive the COVID-19 vaccine to produce herd immunity, and we are grateful that the Sixers are helping us in this effort,” he said.
Two 76ers players, Danny Green and Isaiah Joe, recorded videos encouraging others to get their vaccine and explaining why they received the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I just wanted to get vaccinated because I wanted to get back to normal and to see my family and friends and inspire others to get our country back to normal,” Green said.
76ers President Chris Heck said the organization is eager to help.
“We are grateful to our neighbor and partner Cooper University Health Care for providing vaccines to our players and staff,” he said. “We believe in using our platform for good, and we hope that, through these PSAs, we are able to help educate the community.”
The 76ers, currently the top team in the Eastern Conference, are eager to play before a greater number of fans as they approach the NBA playoffs.
“I got vaccinated because I want to continue to play for fans and to see family and friends,” Joe said.
Cooper and the 76ers shared the PSAs on social media channels. To watch, click here and here.
