Thursday, March 13, 2025
3/13/2025
Over the last 15 months Mecklenburg County Public Health (MCPH) has worked to respond rapidly and equitably to the COVID-19 pandemic. Local data clearly illustrates higher rates of COVID-19 impact (e.g. cases, percent positivity, and deaths) and lower vaccine uptake occur in areas densely populated with African Americans and Hispanic residents and experiencing increased poverty and unemployment. As such, this project will implement equity and infrastructure building activities focused on reducing disparities among African Americans and Hispanic residents, prioritizing six Zip Codes (28205, 28206, 28208, 28212, 28216, 28217) that align with findings of the Social Vulnerability Index and that have been identified as Public Health Priority Areas. The proposed strategies seek to reduce racial and geographic disparities in COVID-19 outcomes, increase access to COVID-19 testing and prevention tools, including vaccinations, among communities experiencing COVID-19 related disparities, and further build infrastructure of the public health system to understand and address disparities in COVID-19 and health and respond to other and future public health threats. The key strategies include:1.Expand existing and/or develop new mitigation and prevention resources and services to reduce COVID-19-related disparities among populations at higher risk and that are underserved.a.Expand access to Community Health Workers (CHW) in partnership with healthcare systems through co-location at community-based sites, including health and human services agencies, recreational spaces, houses of worship and healthcare settings.b.Increase access to COVID-19 vaccinations and testing through a mini-mobile health unit.2.Increase/improve data collection and reporting for populations experiencing a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 infection, severe illness, and death to guide the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.a.Expand capacity to collect, analyze and report on COVID-19 dispa rities by hiring a COVID-19 Epidemiologist and Health Informatics Analyst as well as optimizing IT systems to allow for greater automation and access to real-time data. b.Enhance COVID-19 disparities analyses and evaluation through the Academy for Public Health Innovations (APHI), an ongoing public-academic partnership with UNC-Charlotte School of Public Health Sciences. 3.Build, leverage, and expand infrastructure support for COVID-19 prevention and control among populations that are at higher risk and underserved.a.Build capacity of the MCPH?s Office of Policy and Prevention to address racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes through hiring a Latinx Liaison to coordinate outreach and engagement with Latinx stakeholders and launching a Health Equity Fellowship for recent MPH graduates. The team will work on various equity focused initiatives including a mass media campaign focused on addressing underlying health disparities among African American and Hispanic communities.b.Hire a preparedness supervisor to update MCPH?s preparedness plan with an equity lens and lead coordination of a community action network focused on readiness for action toward equity.As described in the Organizational Capacity document, MCPH is well-positioned to implement these activities by building on its strong pandemic response structure, and its foundational work to bring an equity lens to COVID-19 response and vaccine distribution.
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).