The Biden administration will offer $250 million in grants to U.S. cities for programs that promote COVID-19 safety and vaccinations for underserved communities, Vice President Kamala Harris announced Monday.
Cities can apply for the grants through the Office of Minority Health, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, and they’re meant to fund health literacy efforts especially for minority and rural communities. It’s program is expected to provide more than 70 grants.
“Our goal is to provide underserved communities with the information they need to stay safe and to get vaccinated,” the vice president said in remarks to the National League of Cities’ conference Monday.
“When folks have the information and the education, they have the tools that equip them to take care of themselves and their family,” she added.
The Biden administration has aimed to make health equity a pillar of its coronavirus response, including through a designated task force.
Black Americans are nearly twice as at risk of death and three times as at risk of hospitalization from COVID-19, according to the CDC. Native American and Latino populations are even more likely to be hospitalized and die from the virus.
The new program is expected to provide up to $4 million grants to cities, counties and towns to partner with community organizations who will engage underserved areas and seek to provide information and resources related to COVID-19.
“Nowhere is this more important than in communities hit hardest by the pandemic, especially racial and ethnic minority communities and other vulnerable populations,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Felicia Collins in a statement about the program.
The administration is also faced with racial disparities in vaccine administration across the U.S.
Black and Hispanic people are still receiving a smaller percentage of vaccines compared to their share of the general population, according to a recent analysis from Kaiser Family Foundation.
And there are still gaps in racial and ethnic data reported by states, including the number of vaccinations, COVID-19 cases and deaths, another issue being addressed by the Health Equity Task Force.
“I’m worried about how behind we are,” said Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, head of the task force, in a briefing last month. “So, let me be clear: We cannot ensure an equitable vaccination program without data to guide us.”
