Overview
To date, a total of 18 organizations serving Worcester have received $2,205,103 through the Vaccine Equity Initiative.
These 18 organizations are part of the 152 community organizations that have been awarded over $32 million through the Vaccine Equity Initiative. Many of these organizations work across multiple communities, and some of them are funded through multiple components of the initiative.
Between March 3, 2021 and July 30, 2021, Worcester was allocated a total of 18,800 equity vaccine doses.
DPH Community Liaison program
A designated DPH Community Liaison is working with each of the 20 communities to help address the specific needs of each community.
Worcester liaison: Jenna David, VaccineEquityInitiative@mass.gov
Community-specific vaccination data
Community-specific data includes an interactive dashboard of vaccine administration results in each Vaccine Equity Initiative (VEI) community, updated weekly, and data from the DPH COVID Community Impact Survey to help target approaches.
Support for municipalities and local boards of health
Support for municipalities and Local Boards of Health includes direct funding of municipalities and Local Boards of Health for coordination and support for vaccine clinics and promoting vaccine acceptance.
Worcester: $338,378 (Awarded 3/30/21)
Additional COVID-19 local boards of health funding supports includes direct funding to meet immediate personnel and equipment needs to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Distributed through state funds received through the federal CARES Act, the Public Health Trust Fund, and through direct appropriation beginning in March 2020.
Additional funding to Worcester: $300,000 (Awarded beginning March 2020)
Investment in community health centers
Investment in community health centers expands vaccination infrastructure and build capacity at community health centers, including support for community health workers.
$25,000* per Community Health Center through June 2021, with an additional $25,000 in FY22.
*funded through a public-private partnership
Participants: Family Health Center of Worcester
(Awarded February 2021)
Tailored community and faith-based outreach and education
Tailored community and faith-based outreach and education includes supports to raise awareness of strategies to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and increase vaccination confidence and access for priority populations. Funding amounts to community and faith-based organizations reflect both initial and expanded awards for December 2020 through December 2021:
|
Organization |
Communities Served |
Initial + Expanded Award December 2020-December 2021 |
New Grantees May-December 2021
|
New Grantees June-December 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
African Community Education Program |
Worcester |
$80,150 |
|
|
|
Worcester Interfaith |
Worcester |
$103,750 |
|
|
|
The Joint Committee for Children’s Health Care, Everett |
Boston – Chinatown, Dorchester, East Boston, Mattapan, Mission Hill, Roxbury; Chelsea, Everett, Framingham, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Revere, Worcester |
|
$66,667 |
|
|
Asian Women for Health |
Boston- Chinatown, Dorchester, Mission Hill; Malden, Lowell, Worcester |
|
$65,200
|
|
|
Brockton Area Multi-Service, Inc. |
Brockton, Framingham, Randolph, Worcester |
|
$60,859
|
|
|
The Latino Health Insurance Program, Inc. |
Framingham, Worcester |
|
$66,667 |
|
| JAHAN Women and Youth International | Boston – Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Mission Hill, Roxbury, Brockton, Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Framingham, Haverhill, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, Randolph, Revere, Springfield, Worcester | $61,829 | ||
| Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts | Worcester | $61,829 |
Focused grassroots outreach
Focused grassroots outreach in Worcester, led by ASG, includes teams of trained community residents to help increase vaccine trust and facilitate appointment registration through one-to-one conversations and providing referrals to services.
| Activity Type | Completed Week Ending September 26th | Cumulative Since Activities Began |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Doors Knocked | 781 | 36,539 |
| Number of Phone Calls Made | 139 | 23,414 |
| Number of One-On-One Conversations | 183 | 11,617 |
| % of conversations with unvaccinated | 25.1% | 43.2% |
| Number of Visibility & Outreach Events | 12 | 308 |
| Number of Materials Disseminated | 0 | 1,871 |
The ASG team from Worcester consists of approximately 41 people from the partner Community Based Organizations (CBOs) listed below. They are conducting all grassroots outreach activities for the community, including door-to-door canvasing, business walks, visibility events, town hall support, phone banking and texting.
- Latino Education Institute: $49,463
- Southeast Asian Coalition: $53,044
- Worcester Interfaith: $63,394
Total CBO Funding: $165,900
Mobile vaccination services
Mobile COVID-19 vaccination services address a particular community need that cannot be met by existing vaccination opportunities and are deployed to meet the needs of prioritized populations.
UMass Memorial Medical Center is providing mobile clinics to community spaces in Worcester to reach priority populations In addition, Worcester is coordinating community-based clinics with mobile vaccination resources provided by the National Guard and targeted grassroots efforts by the ASG team and community-based organizations. Worcester is also providing community-based clinics to reach priority populations through DPH-contracted vendors.
Vaccine access and administration in community setting
This funding is intended to increase community-based access to and receipt of COVID-19 vaccination for priority communities and populations who are experiencing disproportionate impacts of COVID-19.
Vaccine Access and Navigation Services funds organizations for services such as assistance with appointment registration, transportation to vaccination clinics, mobility assistance, medical interpretation, and other supports.
Customized Vaccine Administration funds qualified community organizations to directly administer vaccination to groups not effectively reached by other mechanisms. These organizations can be deployed to smaller venues, with populations that may require more intensive one-on-one support to get vaccinated.
The following organizations are receiving funding for 12 months to begin offering services by mid-May 2021:
|
Organization |
Funding |
Vaccine Access and Navigation Services |
Customized Vaccine Administration |
Communities of Focus (People from other communities may also be served) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AIDS Project Worcester |
$200,000 |
X |
|
Fitchburg, Leominster, Worcester |
|
UMass Worcester |
$200,000 |
|
X |
Worcester |
|
Centro Las Americas |
$440,978 |
X |
|
Worcester |
|
Family Health Center of Worcester |
$250,000 |
X |
X |
Worcester |
Communications materials
Communications materials are available to support communities with vaccine information; translated materials available in 10 languages.
Visit www.mass.gov/TrustTheFacts.
The COVID-19 Community Impact Survey
The COVID-19 Community Impact Survey is a survey of more than 35,000 people regarding the social and economic consequences of COVID-19 on MA communities. View the findings.
COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites
COVID-19 Vaccination: Visit Vaxfinder.mass.gov to search for appointments at pharmacies, health care providers, and other community locations
COVID-19 Testing: Free testing is available in all 20 communities, including via the Stop the Spread program. Sites can be located using the state’s website: www.mass.gov/CovidTestSearch.