National Alliance for Hispanic Health • Response to CDC RFA IP21-2106) • Project Abstract
Project Abstract CDC RFA IP21-2106
Vacunas represents a powerful science based and community-driven response to disparities in
vaccination. Many factors including distrust and lack of credible information remain major
barriers to vaccination. For the 2019-2020 season, flu vaccine rates among all racial and ethnic
groups were lowest for Hispanics (38%) compared non-Hispanic Whites (52%). Furthermore,
compared to non-Hispanic Whites, the Hispanic rate of COVID-19 cases is 1.7 times higher,
hospitalization is 4.1 times higher, and deaths are 2.8 times higher. At the same time, a little over
one third (37%) of Hispanic adults report that they do not intend to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
In response to lower rates of adult influenza vaccination and distrust of COVID-19 vaccination
in Hispanic communities, the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (the Alliance) will
establish the Vacunas para todos: National Hispanic Network to Increase Vaccination Coverage
and Reduce Disparities as a rapid response infrastructure to meet emerging national and local
needs to (1) increase acceptance of approved flu and COVID-19 vaccination among Hispanics,
and (2) increase access to approved flu and COVID-19 culturally and linguistically proficient
immunization services in Hispanic communities and other underserved populations.
The Vacunas network will build on the Alliance’s decades of work developing and delivering
evidence-based interventions to increase vaccination across the lifespan; our network of trusted
community-based health and human services organizations (CBOs) that deliver services to over
15 million persons annually; our member network of national, state, and local partners across
key sectors including health system and governmental; and, our Hispanic research network,
including the Alliance’s Healthy Americas Institute at the USC Keck School of Medicine.
The Alliance will leverage its national network of Alliance affiliated members and partners to
advance educational efforts, enhance the resource and evidence base, deliver data and insights on
vaccine uptake, equip influential and authentic messengers, and increase community vaccination
opportunities and provider partnerships. A key part of Vacunas will be tailored programs led by
subrecipient CBOs providing culturally and linguistically proficient in seventeen communities.
California
Mexican American Opportunity Foundation,
Los Angeles, CA
La Clínica de la Raza, Oakland, CA
Family Health Centers of San Diego, CA
San Ysidro Health, San Ysidro, CA
Salud Para la Gente, Watsonville, CA
Colorado
Clinica Tepeyac, Denver, CO
Florida
Miami Beach Community Health Center,
Miami, FL
Hispanic Federation, Orlando, FL
Illinois
Hispanic Health Coalition, Chicago, IL
Nebraska
OneWorld Community Health Centers,
Omaha, NE
Texas
Brownsville Community Health Center
Brownsville, TX
The Concilio, Dallas, TX
Project VIDA, El Paso, TX
Comunilife Health Centers, San Antonio, TX
Pennsylvania
La Comunidad Hispana, Kennett Square, PA
New York
Urban Health Plan, Bronx, NY
Washington
Tri-Cities Community Health, Pasco, WA
The CBOs were chosen for capacity to deliver the proposed effort and the communities reflect
the distribution of major Hispanic population centers and COVID-19 impact areas, diversity of
Hispanic subpopulations, mix of rural and urban centers, and the need to reach to essential
workers in food provision (agricultural field workers and meat processing plant workers).