CT Seeks Vaccination Equality Through Money For Partnerships

CONNECTICUT — Looking to improve the reach of its coronavirus vaccine efforts, Connecticut will distribute $13 million in federal grant funding to more than two-dozen health districts and municipalities to create partnerships to increase vaccine equity.

The grant money will be used to form partnerships "between local health, community organizations, and vaccine providers to promote and increase vaccine equity," according to Gov. Ned Lamont, who announced the plan with the Connecticut Department of Public Health on Monday.

Connecticut and other states received the federal funding as part of a nationwide effort to ensure people in underserved communities, including communities of color and ethnically diverse communities, will have equal access to COVID-19 vaccinations.

Lamont's announcement comes as state health officials voice concern over the recent slowdown in vaccination rates in Connecticut, even though the state was the first in the country to vaccinate more than 50 percent of the adult population.

Officials believe that achieving a high rate of vaccination in the state and the nation is imperative to stop the spread of COVID-19. As of April 29, more than 1.87 million Connecticut residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, with more than 1.32 million individuals receiving either both doses of the Pfizer/Moderna vaccines or the single-dose J&J vaccine.

"Our goal with the vaccination program is to reach out to every Connecticut resident, particularly those who have historically been underserved when it comes to access to health care, transportation, or other challenges," Lamont said. "Everybody deserves the right to access these lifesaving vaccines. We need to do everything we can to make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to receive this care."

Municipalities and health departments slated to receive funding include:

• Bridgeport
• Bristol-Burlington
• Chatham Health District
• Chesprocott
• Danbury
• East Hartford
• East Shore District
• Farmington Valley (FVHD)
• Hartford
• Ledge Light
• Meriden
• Middletown
• Milford
• New Britain
• New Haven
• North Central
• Northeast District
• Norwalk
• Quinnipiac (QVHD)
• South Windsor
• Stamford
• Stratford
• Torrington
• Uncas
• Waterbury
• West Hartford-Bloomfield
• Windsor

To determine the recipients, the Department of Public Health earlier this month solicited applications from local health districts and departments for the grant funding. Each local health applicant was required to identify their community and provider partners and describe the activities that the partnerships would be undertaking to address vaccine equity in their coverage areas.

Contracts with each municipality or health department have not been finalized, so final grant amounts for each recipient have not yet been announced.

The partnership outreach effort will include door-to-door canvassing in some neighborhoods; employer canvassing; outbound calling and texting; peer-to-peer training; public service announcement publication; train-the-trainer programs; and canvassing in immigrant communities. Grant money also will be used for transportation services, homebound and homeless vaccinations, and fixed site and mobile vaccination programs.

"We are pleased and encouraged by the innovative partnerships and activities that this grant money will fund," said Connecticut Public Health Acting Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford. "Improving our vaccination efforts for underserved and minority communities who have been hard hit by this virus is a high priority for the Department of Public Health and our partners in local health. We are hopeful that through this program we are going to see the equity gap close as we strive toward our goal of a statewide vaccination rate of 80 to 85 percent or better."

In a joint statement, Connecticut's Congressional delegation said the federal funding will go a long way to help promote vaccine equity.

"In order for Connecticut to beat this pandemic and resume life as normal, we have to make sure that we are not leaving anyone behind – especially those who have been historically underrepresented and underserved," said the members of the delegation — Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and Representatives John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes, and Jahana Hayes.

For more information on Connecticut’s COVID-19 vaccine program visit ct.gov/covidvaccine.