Austin, Texas is home to a diverse population of 978,908 people and constitutes over 75% of Travis County. The health and socioeconomic disparities in Austin illustrate significant disadvantages for minority populations, particularly amongst Black/African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos/Latinx. Austin Public Health (APH) reports that COVID-19 is now the #1 cause of death for Hispanics in our community. Black/African Americans have the lowest vaccination figures when compared with Whites, Asians, and Hispanics of any race. APH, in collaboration with partners and community leaders, will provide outreach and vaccination to Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, people experiencing homelessness, and adults 65 and older by going to community settings where the populations of focus reside or gather. APH?s collaboration builds on continued communication and support from focus population trusted advocacy groups including minority quality of life commissions, homeless coalitions, and elderly associations. Austin?s central areas have seen a movement of low-income populations and minorities to outlying areas that are more affordable but lack access to care and resources. APH and partners will coordinate to better serve the eastern crescent which constitutes portions of Travis County and surrounding areas that lack access to health care, transportation, healthy foods, and other determinants. The collaborative approach enables greater capacity to meet needs of focus populations and reach expected outcomes.APH will hire and train four (4) community health workers, a community coordinator, a research analyst, two managers, and a social services specialist to support activities for Reach In, Reach Out. Community health workers have rapport and experience working with focus populations. The research analyst provides epidemiologic, surveillance and data analysis services. The managers and specialist ensure coordination and communication with APH, community organizations, an
d city/county leadership. APH will award up to ten social service contracts through a competitive bid to engage and vaccinate populations of focus. Engagement includes identifying vaccination barriers, addressing these barriers, collaborative messaging, and providing place-based vaccination opportunities for populations of focus. Outcomes include: 1) Reduced vaccination barriers; 2) Increase in culturally and linguistically appropriate shared/collaborative messaging; 3) Increase in fully vaccinated populations of focus; (4) Increase of vaccine doses to populations of focus; and 5) Increase in number of vaccination events/opportunities for focus populations.
