Program provides vaccines to community health centers to ensure that underserved communities and those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 are equitably vaccinated
Announcement comes following President Biden signing the American Rescue plan into law, which will provide $49 billion nationally for testing, tracing, and sequencing to identify new variants of COVID-19 and slow the spread – MORE HERE
The American Rescue Plan also provides $7.6 billion in funding to Community Health Centers – MORE HERE
Senator Murray: “I’m proud to partner with President Biden to invite these community health centers to help get people across Washington state vaccinated faster”
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the Chair of the Senate health committee, announced that health centers across Washington state will be invited to join the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program over the next six weeks.
The community health centers (CHCs) that will be invited to the program in Washington state are:
- Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Inchelium, WA
- The N. A. T. I. V. E. Project, Spokane, WA
- Seattle Indian Health Board, Seattle, WA
- New Health Programs Association, Chewelah, WA
- Grant County Hospital District 5, Mattawa, WA
- Peninsula Community Health Services, Bremerton WA
- Unity Care Northwest, Bellingham, WA
“As we all work together to get shots in arms and beat this virus, I’m proud to partner with President Biden to invite these community health centers to help get people across Washington state vaccinated faster,” Senator Murray said. “This program is critical to ensuring equitable vaccine distribution and that underserved communities aren’t left behind, and I’m glad that we can expand its reach in Washington state. And the American Rescue Plan we passed will continue to support these efforts by providing much needed funding for vaccinations and for community health centers to help address inequities and reach underserved communities.”
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched this program to directly allocate COVID-19 vaccine to HRSA-supported health centers to ensure that our nation’s underserved communities and those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 are equitably vaccinated.
HRSA-funded health centers are community-based and patient-directed organizations that deliver affordable, accessible, quality, and cost-effective primary health care. Nationwide, nearly 1,400 health centers operate approximately 13,000 sites, providing primary and preventive care to nearly 30 million patients each year, regardless of their ability to pay. Over 91% of health center patients are individuals or families living at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and nearly 63% are racial/ethnic minorities. Health centers across the nation are playing vital roles in supporting local community responses to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Prior to today, 250 health centers were invited to this program, and included those that serve a large volume of the following disproportionately affected populations: individuals experiencing homelessness, public housing residents, migrant/seasonal agricultural workers, or patients with limited English proficiency.
The CHCs already participating in the program in Washington state are:
- Cowlitz Family Health Center, Longview, WA
- Moses Lake Community Health Center, Moses Lake, WA
- Family Health Centers, Okanogan , WA
- Columbia Basin Health Association, Othello, WA
- Tri-Cities Community Health, Pasco, WA
- Healthpoint, Renton, WA
- Country Doctor Community Clinic, Seattle, WA
- International Community Health Services, Seattle, WA
- King County, Seattle, WA
- Sea-Mar Community Health Center, Seattle, WA
- Community Health Association Of Spokane, Spokane, WA
- Community Health Care, Tacoma, WA
- Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, Toppenish, WA
- Yakima Neighborhood Health Services, Yakima, WA
Today, an additional 700 health centers were invited to participate in the next phase of the program and include those that: serve high proportions of low income and minority patients, provide services to rural/frontier populations, operate Tribal/Urban Indian Health Programs, and/or utilize mobile vans to deliver services.
To view a list of the health centers participating in or invited to join the program please visit: https://www.hrsa.gov/coronavirus/health-center-program
To locate a HRSA-funded health center, visit: https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/.
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