Valley Health to expand COVID-19 vaccine access – WOWK 13 News

Huntington, WV (WOWK) Valley Health Systems is embracing National Minority Health Month and its theme to Give Your Community a Boost. The health system will use its COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Grant to ensure vaccine access in disproportionately affected communities, including racial and ethnic minority groups.

The $178,920 grant issued by the State of West Virginia will be used to focus on Cabell, Lincoln, Kanawha and Wayne counties.

Valley Health recognizes that a patients environment significantly impacts their health. Conditions like chronic lung diseases, diabetes, and obesity are associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness, and all of these conditions are prevalent in these counties.

Valley Health will offer mobile vaccination clinics and vaccine education at churches, food banks, public housing complexes, homeless shelters, recovery homes and more. Pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare professionals will administer the vaccines.

If an individual needs to travel to get their vaccine, Valley Health can provide gift cards to help with transportation costs.

The health system will also collaborate with trusted local leaders to host listening sessions in which the community can voice their concerns regarding vaccine hesitancy.

Additionally, Valley Health will seek to understand the needs of each disproportionately impacted group.

By focusing our implementation on presenting a multi-faceted approach, we can utilize this grant to provide vaccine hesitancy outreach to overcome barriers to meet the needs of individuals in our communities. This is especially important given racial, ethnic, and other disparities seen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and our efforts will be undertaken with a particular focus on these disparities.

Valley Health operates over 40 health centers and public health programs in southeastern West Virginia and southern Ohio. To learn more, visit the Valley Health Systems website or call your local health center.

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Valley Health to expand COVID-19 vaccine access - WOWK 13 News