Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is launching a new “vaccine equity” campaign aimed at persuading thousands of older and disabled New York City residents to get their updated COVID-19 and flu shots this fall and winter.
The NYC Community Partnerships for Vaccine Access and Equity (CompPass) will launch the outreach effort to distribute the shots in the South Bronx, Far Rockaway in Queens and the Brooklyn neighborhoods of East New York, Brownsville, Coney Island, Sheepshead Bay and Brighton Beach.
The city Health Department’s fundraising arm, the Fund for Public Health put out a request for bids to operate in those zip codes.
The six-month initiative will begin in September, and allocate $394,500 to hire three community or faith-based groups that will conduct on-the-ground efforts to connect with seniors and residents with disabilities and encourage them to vax up.
The effort to boost inoculation rates is also being supported by federal funding through the National Council on Aging.
“Selected community and/or faith-based organizations (C/FBOs) will support a fall 2023/winter 2024 vaccination campaign to boost protection and limit the anticipated flu and COVID-19 surge,” the Health Department proposal says.
“The goal is to increase the number of older adults (OA) and persons living with disabilities (PLWD) receiving COVID-19 and Influenza ‘flu’ vaccinations.”
The proposal adds: “Wherever possible, vaccine champions will be ethnically, culturally, demographically, and age-appropriate for the target populations which promotes messaging credibility and raises community confidence.”
In May, the COVID-19 emergency was officially declared over. But the coronavirus is still a significant concern, according to some in the medical community, and in some places, cases have been rising.
The city vax campaign comes on the heels of the state Health Department reporting a double-digit spike in both COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions across the country.
More than 80,000 New Yorkers and over 1 million Americans have died from COVID-19, though fatalities have slowed considerably with vaccines and drug treatment that helped end the pandemic.
However, the elderly and residents with pre-existing medical conditions are more vulnerable to getting sick or dying from COVID-19 or the flu.
Meanwhile, a new variant — dubbed EG.5, or eris — has arisen as the dominant strain, causing about 17% of COVID cases nationwide, according to a new alert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This new initiative is part of the city Public Health Corps (PHC) whose mission is to help communities that were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which typically have lower vaccination rates than the citywide average.
The Mayor’s Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity will also be involved in the campaign.
“In addition to the deliverables of the contract, the executive leadership of selected
contractors is expected to work with the NYC Health Department on strengthening capacity of
and building trust with communities that have been disproportionately harmed by COVID-19,” health department officials said.
The contractors will target at least 9,000 older New Yorkers and persons with disabilities in the selected neighborhoods — 2,700 in The Bronx; 4,500 in Brooklyn and 1,800 in Far Rockaway.
The effort includes conducting street canvassing and sponsoring community outreach and vaccine events, distributing 51,100 pieces of literature, making 31,100 phone texts, and arranging or scheduling ride-sharing and Access-A-Ride trips for seniors and residents with disabilities to get their shots.
The Health Department must approve the contractors’ educational materials for medical accuracy before release.
The contractors also must screen the targeted seniors and disabled for other health issues and refer them to the proper medical providers in a broader bid to bolster health outcomes.