HHS to provide $143.5M for community-based efforts to improve COVID-19 vaccination outreach

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced this week that it will provide $143.5 million to expand community-based efforts at vaccination outreach, specifically to build vaccine confidence and break down barriers to COVID-19 vaccination.

“Today’s investments are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued efforts to leverage trusted local messengers and support community-based efforts to vaccinate more Americans against COVID-19,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said. “We have seen great progress in vaccination rates in recent months, but we know our work isn’t done in addressing misinformation and ensuring equitable access in underserved communities.”

Misinformation has plagued the COVID-19 containment efforts since the start of the pandemic. With funds from the American Rescue Plan, the government intends to support two programs that will award recipients for developing regional and local partnerships to reach the unvaccinated.

The first program will receive $66.5 million of the available funds to aid community-based organizations in providing information and education on COVID-19 vaccines to the medically vulnerable or underserved communities, such as racial and ethnic minority groups with low vaccination rates. A second program will take the remaining $77 million and award it to nine community-based organizations through a funding opportunity to mobilize community outreach workers for education and COVID-19 vaccination assistance efforts.

“This funding reflects HRSA’s core mission of providing equitable health care to people who are geographically isolated and economically or medically vulnerable,” Diana Espinosa, Acting Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which will manage the awards, said. “These additional investments in community-based funding will help reduce disparities and reach people in underserved communities who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.”

Applications for the community-based investments are due by Dec. 10, 2021.