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CONTACT: Kimberly Ortega, Acting Communications Director, (213) 361-6435 or KOrtega@bos.lacounty.gov
Stephany Villaseñor, Communications Deputy, (213) 308-9017 or SVillasenor@bos.lacounty.gov
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles County is announcing $15 million in state funding that will be granted to local partners critical to vaccinating residents in communities most highly impacted by COVID-19. These funds will enable the state’s most populous county to equitably and efficiently vaccinate residents as state eligibility guidelines expand.
Forty-one organizations currently in the field supporting local vaccination efforts in the most in-need communities in LA County have expressed resource constraints limiting their ability to increase capacity and reach more individuals in the hardest-hit communities.
These entities are also more likely to have the infrastructure to absorb a surge in funding, ranging from $250K to $500K to deploy resources and enhance capacity quickly.
The entities listed fall into the following categories:
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Community Health Providers that are existing vaccinators who have a readiness to scale up vaccination capacity, but have not fully benefitted from the recent funding federal opportunities (i.e., HRSA American Rescue Plan funds for FQHCs).
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Mobile Vaccinators that are working with County teams to identify and deploy mobile clinic activities in most in-need communities in collaboration with local organizations. These agencies do not often receive significant government funding since they are not formally designated as a health center.
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Community and Faith-based Organizations assisting with federal, state, local vaccination efforts by providing outreach, registration assistance, and support (transportation, interpretation) for community residents. As trusted messengers, these organizations have pivoted their operations to meet community needs and require additional support to sustain and augment their services.
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Home Health Care Agencies actively serving homebound seniors and family members in the most in-need communities. These entities have the relationships and mechanisms (i.e., home food delivery, health care services) to support vaccination efforts; the lack of dedicated resources has limited their ability to bring efforts to scale.
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Independent Pharmacies are providing critical vaccination support in areas where there may not be health centers or registered providers.
Starting as soon as next week, for all partners that have signed a contract with the third party administrator and onboarded to the state’s My Turn system will begin to receive the funding.
“Throughout this pandemic, my response has been driven first and foremost by equity, working to ensure that those communities hit hardest by the pandemic are prioritized with testing, protective equipment, and now, vaccines. That is why I thank Governor Newsom and Blue Shield for partnering with us here in Los Angeles County and providing this critical funding to expand upon our collective efforts to ensure that equity remains our guiding principle. This $15 million fund to partner with trusted organizations in the community like federally-qualified health clinics, community- and faith-based organizations, home health care agencies, and mobile vaccinators, will go a long way toward building the infrastructure needed to close the racial and ethnic disparities that this pandemic has laid bare. And as we approach April 15, with all adults in the County becoming eligible for the vaccine, it is more important than ever that programs are in place to make sure everyone has equal access to the vaccine and no one is left behind. Only by ensuring everyone has access to these vaccines can we fully put this pandemic behind us, and by coming together, we can make that shared goal a reality," said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis, Supervisor to the First District.
“We appreciate the partnership with the State, our County Board of Supervisors and Blue Shield of California to ensure this critical funding for local partners who are best able to meet the needs of the community,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
For a list of partners who will receive funding, click here.
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