Dawne Mitchell, Attorney-in-Charge of The Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice, was listed among City & State’s winners of the week after issuing a letter to the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Commissioner Sheila Poole urging young New Yorkers in juvenile detention, youth shelters and foster care facilities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

OCFS responded by clarifying its guidelines to emphasize that older teens in residential programs licensed or certified by the state are eligible for vaccine distribution.

“Dawne Mitchell […] was among the advocates pressing for clarity on whether youth who are 16-year-old or older in residential programs would qualify for the vaccines,” the piece states. “While the hard part comes next – actually getting the vaccines into arms – it’s still an important step for protecting some of New York’s most vulnerable teenagers.”