HHS to give $66.5 million towards community-based outreach to boost COVID-19 vaccination rates

Editor's Note

According to the February 10 Healthcare Purchasing News, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced a new American Rescue Plan funding of $66.5 million to help expand outreach efforts to boost COVID-19 vaccine rates.

The funding will be split into 8 awards toward community outreach in 38 states and the District of Columbia. With this latest round of funding, HHS will have provided some $390 million to 158 organizations for the Community-based Workforce for COVID-19 Vaccine Program, which supports “outreach, events, translation and other enabling services, education, and community health worker support in underserved areas in all 50 states.”

The general mission is to deliver information on COVID-19 vaccines and build vaccine confidence in diverse communities and groups exhibiting low vaccination rates across the US.

For example, the Public Health Institute and COMMUNITIES RISE will use the HRSA award to “expand outreach to Black, Native American, Latinx, immigrant and migrant, low-income, older adult, and LGBTQ+ populations that are not yet vaccinated.”