The Scotland County Health Department was recently awarded a $75,000 Partnering for Vaccine Equity (PAVE) grant by the National Association of County and City Health Officials to support the department in identifying and addressing inequities in adult influenza and COVID-19 vaccination coverage among racial and ethnic populations.
LAURINBURG — The Scotland County Health Department is one of 19 health departments in the nation recently awarded a $75,000 Partnering for Vaccine Equity (PAVE) grant by the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
The grant aims to support the health department in identifying and addressing inequities in adult influenza and COVID-19 vaccination coverage among racial and ethnic populations.
Scotland County Health Department’s mission is to preserve and protect the health of all citizens of Scotland County through education, prevention and the promotion of healthy living. The overall goal of this grant is to improve vaccine equity in Scotland County by removing barriers to obtaining the vaccine and educating the community to reduce vaccine hesitancy.
“Scotland County Health Department is pleased to receive this grant award and put it toward improving vaccine equity, removing barriers to getting vaccinated and reducing vaccine hesitancy,” said Amanda Deaver, director of the Scotland County Health Department. “Influenza and COVID season is upon us and we are already seeing an increase in COVID and influenza cases. This grant will support improving vaccine equity within the underserved areas of Scotland County by reducing any barriers to receiving the vaccine and providing education to the citizens so that they can make an informed decision on their health.”
The grant will allow the Scotland County Health Department to expand influenza and COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the community.
“Some people decline or delay getting vaccinated due to misinformation that they receive through the media, socioeconomic reasons or other issues that provide a barrier for them to receive the vaccinations. Scotland County Health Department has implemented strategies through the grant funding to reduce vaccine barriers by providing education, and providing vaccine clinics in the community, outside of regular business hours,” Deaver said.
The Partnering for Vaccine Equity project funds a program coordinator, Janna Blue; a community health worker, Tariq Hargrove; and a registered nurse, all who are available to provide education and vaccines to the community.
“Our goal is to provide a minimum of four community outreach vaccine clinics this year to allow access to the influenza and COVID vaccine,” Deaver said. “We believe that bringing the vaccine efforts into the community will have a significant impact on identifying and addressing inequities in adult influenza and COVID-19 vaccination coverage among racial and ethnic populations.”
For additional information regarding the Partnering for Vaccine Equity project, contact Janna Blue or Tariq Hargrove at Scotland County Health Department at 910-277-2440.