The College of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has been awarded a $ 10 million grant from the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies (HHS) to fund COVID-19 outreach efforts throughout Arkansas.
UAMS mentioned it’s going to use the grant to mobilize and deploy neighborhood well being staff, affected person navigators and social assist specialists to “essentially the most weak and medically underserved” communities throughout the state, together with racial and ethnic minority teams.
The grant will probably be used to coach communities in regards to the vaccine, assist folks entry assets, help people in making a vaccine appointment, and help people with transportation or different must get to vaccine appointments.
“This funding will permit UAMS to develop each our neighborhood well being employee collaborative and our service space into extra rural areas. It’ll additionally permit us to have interaction with new goal populations to take away structural obstacles to COVID-19 vaccinations in culturally and linguistically applicable methods, ”mentioned Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., director of the UAMS Workplace of Group Well being and Analysis.
The HHS grant, by the Well being Assets and Companies Administration (HRSA), is a part of $ 66.5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to eight grantees to develop outreach efforts in 38 states and the District of Columbia to extend COVID-19 vaccine confidence and vaccinations.
“This grant could have far-reaching well being advantages for the complete nation and for our state,” mentioned UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, MD, MBA. “It’ll require a fast and environment friendly start-up and can contain collaboration amongst a number of departments throughout UAMS, in addition to state, native and regional neighborhood organizations. We’re very appreciative of HHS and HRSA for making this attainable. ”
“Constructing vaccine confidence is crucial to growing vaccinations,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra mentioned in a information launch. This funding by the Biden-Harris administration additional expands our progress in partnering with trusted native messengers to ship wanted data on COVID-19 vaccines. This funding will assist much more community-based organizations construct confidence within the COVID-19 vaccine amongst folks of their neighborhood who might not have been vaccinated but. ”