Sunday, November 24, 2024
11/24/2024
In the District of Columbia, COVID-19 was the 3rd leading cause of death in 2020 with a preliminary total of 799 lives lost and 1,102 deaths to date. Rates and patterns of illness, such as hospitalizations and recovery vs. deaths, varied substantially by race and other socio-demographic factors. Black/African American residents experienced 49% of cases and 75% of deaths, while Hispanic/Latinx and non-Hispanic (NH) White residents made up 21% of cases vs. 11% of deaths and 26% of cases vs. 10% of deaths, respectively. Most deaths occurred in the 60+ age range and were geographically concentrated to the east/southeast, where the eastern-most neighborhoods Wards 5 (18%), 7 (16%), and 8 (19%) experienced cumulative mortality between 1.3 and 1.5 times the city-wide crude rate of 157.1 per 100,000 population. The current number of COVID-19 cases in Wards 5 (7,104), 7 (6,613), and 8 (6,910) is more than 2.5 times higher compared to neighboring Ward 3 (2,555). The District has administered 422,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine; 15.7% of District residents are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Disparities in vaccine uptake persist with only 9% of Ward 8 residents being fully vaccinated compared to 20% of Ward 3 residents. These trends also mirror income inequities by wards in the District with adverse health outcomes disproportionately affecting lower-income residents in Wards 5, 7, and 8. Through this funding opportunity, DC Health aims to increase testing and contract tracing among District populations at high risk for COVID-19 through mobile and pop up testing events; develop and disseminate culturally and linguistically appropriate materials to racial and ethnic populations to increase knowledge and awareness about COVID-19 vaccinations, increase data and reporting infrastructure to track COVID-19 and vaccination rates in the District; provide grant funding to local community-based organizations aimed at health disparities in high burden communities ; and develop the Health Opportunity Index (HOI).DC Health?s Health Emergency Preparedness Response Administration (HEPRA) will oversee the COVID-19 mobile popup testing in priority wards. HEPRA will contract with vendors to provide opportunities for District residents to obtain free COVID-19 PCR testing at locations throughout the District that have been identified as having the highest positivity rates and lowest testing rates. DC Health?s Office of Communications and Community Relations (OCCR) will develop and design culturally relevant education materials aimed at increasing resident awareness of COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites. OCCR will utilize social media, local television and radio, and public transportation ads to disseminate health promotion materials in priority wards including Wards 5, 7, and 8. OCCR will distribute health promotion materials outlining preventative measures and vaccination clinic sites. Materials will be made available in multiple languages to ensure reach to priority populations. DC Health?s Office of Health Equity (OHE) will develop the HOI, leveraging the Nine Key Drivers Framework and the 51-Statistical Neighborhood level of analysis, launched in February 2019. The HOI will improve the department?s capacity to identify and target specific areas and populations and will inform and match tailored solutions to guide mitigation strategies and intervention practices. Beyond COVID, the HOI tool will enable DC Health?s sustained response both to the differential and disparate outcomes that are immediately evident from the pandemic itself. Lastly, OHE will develop and release a competitive RFA aimed at addressing COVID-19 health disparities in high-burden wards. Applicants will be required to address the social determinants of health and develop culturally and linguistically appropriate programming that addresses the barriers to care for District residents and link residents to COVID-19 resources including testing and vaccination.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
