The Anne Arundel County Department of Health announced the recipients of its Health Ambassadors Program grant awards for FY 2021, providing more than $700,000 to nine organizations working on equitable vaccine distribution in the county.
“The communities in our county with the lowest vaccination rates are the ones that have been most impacted by COVID-19,” County Executive Steuart Pittman said. “The organizations receiving these grants will canvass neighborhoods, talk to residents directly, and fill our vaccination appointments. That’s how our communities will recover from this pandemic.”
The awards are funded through the COVID Mass Vaccination CARES Initiative of the Maryland Department of Health, Prevention and Health Promotion Administration. A total of $707,575 will be awarded to nine community-based organizations that are working to ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
“In our county, equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine is a high priority,” said Anne Arundel County Health Officer Nilesh Kalyanaraman, M.D. “Our data shows that COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on Black, Hispanic, low income and older individuals.”
The organizations receiving awards are listed below:
Anne Arundel County Community Action Agency – $58,000
Funds will be used to reach out to South County community services, including food banks, baby banks, libraries, grocery stores and events, to educate community members about the safety and importance of COVID-19 vaccinations.
CASA de Maryland, Inc. (Anne Arundel County Chapter) – $98,000
Funds will be used to hire and train students to serve as part-time health ambassadors. Funds will also help expand existing and ongoing Hispanic/Latino community engagement work, with a focus on Annapolis, Brooklyn Park, Glen Burnie, Laurel and surrounding ZIP codes.
Center of Help – $90,000
Funds will be used to support case navigators to reach and educate the Black and Hispanic/Latino communities and provide equitable vaccination services. Health ambassadors will attend weekly food distributions, programs at the Center of Help and its partner organizations, and community events.
ElevateHER – $90,000
Funds will be used to provide health workers at a grassroots neighborhood level. Activities will include canvassing on foot as well as engagement at pop-up micro-center sites, community centers, businesses, and houses of faith. The health ambassadors will offer vaccine registration and support for keeping vaccination appointments.
Growth Matters LLC – $93,000
Funds will be used to support vaccine education and resources for Anne Arundel County residents through door-to-door engagement. Growth Matters will collaborate with Hands of Hope, Inc. and over 30 faith-based organizations through the Whose House God’s House Initiative, which has churches as advocates for community vaccinations.
Heritage Community Church – $32,575
Funds will target the Hispanic/Latino population in the Severn area and will be used to host the Hispanic Health Festival, provide educational vaccine materials and serve as a host site for vaccinations.
Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis – $50,000
Funds will be used to provide vaccine information at home visits in HACA’s residential communities. HACA houses over 1,100 families and will provide educational materials, vaccination registrations, and pop-up events for its residents.
Kingdom Kare Inc. – $98,000
Funds will be used to canvass communities in the western and northern parts of the county and participate in food distributions to distribute print materials. Kingdom Kare will engage with residents utilizing culturally competent and tailored materials. Kingdom Kare will partner with the United Black Clergy of Anne Arundel County which consists of over 52 clergy leaders.
Maryland Reentry Resource Center – $98,000
Funds will be used to reduce an existing language barrier by providing vaccine education and registration assistance. The Maryland Reentry Resource Center will collaborate with My Life Foundation to provide outreach to the Asian population. My Life Foundation has provided direct services to over 1,500 Asian American residents in central Maryland, most of whom reside in Anne Arundel County.
Total – $707,575
County data shows that Black residents are 1.4 times more likely and Hispanic residents are 2.4 times more likely to get COVID-19 than white residents. People age 65 and older of all races and ethnicities accounted for more than 85% of all COVID-19 deaths but only 12% of all cases. In addition, vaccination rates are lower in communities where the average income is below the poverty line.
To address these inequities, the nine award recipients will work to increase the vaccination rates among Black residents, Hispanic residents, low-income neighborhoods, and older residents. The funds will enable the organizations to hire health ambassadors to canvass communities and distribute culturally competent informational materials about the COVID-19 disease and vaccine. The ambassadors will target census tracts that have the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates.
For more information about the Health Ambassadors Program, call 410-222-4224 or email [email protected]. For more information on vaccinations, or to register for an appointment, visit https://www.aacounty.org/covidvax/.
