News Flash

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

April 1, 2021

CONTACT

Kate Reilly, COVID-19 Response Command Center | Katelyn.reilly@mass.gov

Baker-Polito Administration Announces Mobile Vaccination & Additional Support for Disproportionately Impacted Communities

CHELSEA –  The Baker-Polito Administration today announced details for a new mobile vaccination effort made possible by a recently-launched partnership with FEMA that is bringing 6,000 additional daily doses to Massachusetts. The Administration also announced the awarding of a $4.7 million grant to support local public health efforts in the 20 most disproportionately impacted communities in the Commonwealth, and highlighted new outreach efforts in these communities. The Administration made these announcements during a visit to the vaccination clinic at La Colaborativa in Chelsea, one of four hard-hit communities the Administration is supporting with a total of $100 million after previously being slated to receive disproportionately smaller amounts of federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

FEMA Mobile Vaccination

This week, the Commonwealth and FEMA launched a partnership that designates the Hynes Convention Center in Boston as a federal mass vaccination site where FEMA will support the daily administration of 6,000 vaccine daily doses for an eight-week period. This collaboration includes vaccinations beyond the Hynes location, following a “hub and spoke” model which allows doses from the central “hub” to be distributed to nearby communities through mobile vaccination units and pop-up clinics, with a focus on vaccine equity.

Starting next week and ramping up over time, mobile vaccination efforts will be launched in Chelsea, Revere, Boston, Fall River and New Bedford. Like the Hynes site and other federally supported sites across the country, these cities were selected based the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index, along with their proximity to the Hynes.

These mobile and pop up clinics will scale over time, with up to 500 vaccines per day available for each community.

Doses will be picked up by the mobile vaccination teams at the Hynes and then distributed and administered in these communities. Most of these mobile units and pop up clinics will be set up in city parks, parking lots, and other trusted community locations identified by the municipalities as easy to access for community members.

The program will also include grassroots efforts in each community to raise awareness about these mobile clinics and assist in booking appointments. Similar to the broader partnership with FEMA, this mobile program will run for 8 weeks.

Equity Outreach Initiatives

Beginning next week, over 200 bi-lingual, locally hired community organizers will hold 83 outreach events in neighborhoods across each of our 20 equity communities for business walks and door-to-door canvassing and will also start phone-banking efforts to support vaccine appointment registration.

Archipalego Strategies Group (ASG), a minority-women owned business and Health Care for All have been working closely with the Department of Public health and our equity communities to build a robust outreach program that is tailored to the needs of each community.

$4.7 Million Best Value Grant Awards

The Commonwealth this week will distribute $4.7M of federal grant funding to the 20 communities most disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 that will enable them to lead vaccine clinics and promote vaccine trust and confidence.

This funding will support local municipalities and health departments as they:

•                 collaborate with key stakeholders including local Community and Faith-Based Organizations; Community Health Centers, and Community Health Workers who can support grassroots outreach;

•                 additional staffing (e.g., public health nursing) and resources to support vaccine clinics in disproportionately impacted communities;

•                 identify gaps and map available resources to reduce barriers to vaccination; and

•                 disseminate culturally appropriate translations of communications campaign materials, including Trust the Facts. Get the Vax. campaign materials and vaccine FAQs in multiple languages, and support outreach efforts such as town halls and information sharing in close coordination with Community Liaisons, ASG and HCFA.

The funding includes a minimum of $100,000 dedicated to support staffing and public health infrastructure for local public health. This funding will be for today through June 30, 2022.

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PRESS RELEASE: April 1, 2021