Many new COVID-19 funding programs and resources have been recently introduced. HRSA’s Expanding COVID-19 Response in Rural Communities through Rural Health Clinics web page introduces three current funding opportunities geared toward CMS-certified Rural Health Clinics (RHC):
- Rural Health Clinic Testing and Mitigation (RHCCTM) Program – each eligible CMS-certified RHC will receive a “flat” payment of up to $100,000 designed to increase testing and expand mitigation based on community need. For questions, please email RHCCOVID-19Testing@hrsa.gov.
- Rural Health Clinic Vaccine Distribution (RHCVD) Program – through a partnership between HRSA and the CDC, CMS-certified RHCs may receive COVID-19 vaccine directly to increase vaccine participation in rural communities. For questions, please email RHCVaxDistribution@hrsa.gov.
- Rural Health Clinic Vaccine Confidence (RHCVC) Program – a grant program for CMS-certified RHCs with the goal of encouraging and supporting “vaccine confidence” to promote vaccine participation in rural communities. Grant applications are due in EHB by June 23, 2021. For questions, please email RHCVaxConfidence@hrsa.gov; Subscribe to RHC Vaccine Confidence Program Listserv for HRSA RHCVC Program updates.
HHS recently launched the We Can Do This public education campaign to provide positive messaging and increase confidence/participation in vaccines. The goal is to provide an easy, straightforward link to vaccine facts and information from respected doctors, health professionals and scientists using “high-impact digital platforms.”
Part of this effort, We Can Do This: Live, “pairs medical experts with prominent influencers and organizations with large social followings to meet people where they are with the information they need to feel confident about receiving the vaccine.” Influencers include Mark Cuban, Kelly Ripa, and Barbara Corcoran. Through this initiative, you might get a COVID vaccine while attending a NASCAR race! Another part of the We Can Do This initiative is the COVID-19 Community Corps – a great resource with the latest vaccination facts and figures, resources and social media content that can be used to encourage vaccination participation in your network.
In addition to the direct HRSA contacts listed above, feel free to reach out to the Connections for Community Care (C3) Team for assistance by emailing rhccovidtestinginfo@nosorh.org.