NC DHHS, NC Counts Coalition Partnership Supports Equitable COVID-19 Response Throughout North Carolina
Raleigh- Healthier Together, a public-private partnership between the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and NC Counts Coalition, has awarded $500,000 in grants to support community groups that will help North Carolina achieve its goal of delivering equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. After receiving 81 applications for the grants, the following organizations were selected to receive Healthier Together vaccine equity grants ranging from $7,000 to $50,000 to serve their corresponding counties:
- Episcopal Farmworker Ministry – Johnston, Harnett, Sampson, Duplin
- Iglesia La Semilla – Guilford, Alamance, Chatham, Durham, Granville, Johnston, Nash, Wake, Wilson, Harnett, Duplin, Wayne
- A Better Chance A Better Community – Edgecombe, Hertford
- Acción Hispana/Qué Pasa – Forsyth
- Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, Inc. (AMEXCAN) – Nash, Wilson, Cumberland, Beaufort, Craven, Duplin, Edgecombe, Greene, Hyde, Lenoir, Pitt
- CAREE (Citizens Advocating For Racial Equity & Equality) – Edgecombe, Greene, Pitt
- Church World Service (Greensboro and Durham) – Forsyth, Guilford, Durham, Orange
- Cumberland HealthNet – Cumberland, Hoke
- Communities in Partnership – Durham
- Duplin Christian Outreach Ministries – Bladen, Pender, Sampson, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, Wayne
- Durham Chapter APRI – Durham
- Future Endeavors Life Program (FELP) – Cumberland, Montgomery
- Garner Road Community Center, Inc. – Wake
- Giver of Destiny Corporation – Davidson, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Harnett, County Coharie Indian Association
- Healthy Robeson Coalition – Robeson
- Helping All People Excel, Inc. and Gang Free, Inc. – Granville, Vance
- Latin American Coalition – Mecklenburg
- Little Washington Growing Group – Wayne
- Montagnard Dega Association – Guilford
- NC FIELD, Inc. – Craven, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, Wayne
- Peletah Ministries – Carteret, Craven, Jones, Pamlico, Pitt
- Robeson County Church & Community Center – Union, Wilson, Robeson
- Sandhills Cooperation Association – Randolph, Stanly, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond
- Scotland Youth Development – Scotland
- The Caraway Foundation – Anson
- Vecinos, Inc. – Cherokee, Graham
The Healthier Together grants fund activities such as conducting vaccine outreach and education efforts, helping people schedule appointments, arranging transportation, coordinating local vaccine events at trusted and accessible locations, and ensuring that people get to second-dose appointments.
As the more dangerous Delta Variant rapidly spreads throughout North Carolina, there is even more urgency for people to get vaccinated. Early data have shown a possible increased risk of hospitalization in people infected with the Delta variant. The currently available COVID-19 vaccines are the best protection against the virus and its variants. The selected community organizations will work to ensure that individuals from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and other historically marginalized populations are able to access COVID-19 vaccines.
“Through these grants, we hope to amplify the outreach efforts of organizations already doing the work in our communities,” said Stacey Carless. Executive Director of NC Counts Coalition. “With the help of our Healthier Together grant recipients, we will deliver a place-based strategy that invests in state, regional, and local partners led by and serving historically marginalized communities. Now more than ever, we need vaccine outreach in our communities to keep people safe during this ongoing pandemic.”
In addition to providing grants to community-based organizations, the Healthier Together initiative includes regional health equity teams that will support vaccine outreach and education efforts, use vaccination data to inform planning and investment of resources, and help match vaccine providers with community-based organizations.
This program is funded by federal COVID-19 funds.
Additional information regarding Healthier Together can be found at https://nccounts.org/healthier-together-initiative
NCDHHS News Release
