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The Biden Administration launched the first phase of the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. Beginning February 15, FQHCs (including centers in the Urban Indian Health Program) began directly receiving vaccines.
The announcement coincided with a boost in vaccine supply for states, Tribes, and territories. In early February, the Biden Administration announced it would expand vaccine supply to 11 million doses nationwide, a 28% increase since January 20, when President Biden took office. According to a White House fact sheet, “The Administration is committing to maintaining this as the minimum supply level for the next three weeks, and we will continue to work with manufacturers in their efforts to ramp up supply.”
In February, President Biden and Vice President Harris travelled to Arizona and toured a vaccination site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Arizona, one of the first states to reach out for federal help from the new administration, has 15 counties and 22 Tribes with sovereign lands in the state. Those 37 entities work collaboratively with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said Major General Michael McGuire, head of the Arizona National Guard.
In his remarks during the tour, President Biden addressed equity, saying, “[I]t really does matter that we have access to the people who are most in need [and are] most affected by the COVID crisis, dying at faster rates, getting sick at faster rates, …but not being able to get into the mix. …Equity is a big thing.”
To that end, one of the programs under way is to stand up four vaccination centers for the Navajo Nation. Tammy Littrell, Acting Regional Administrator for FEMA, said the centers will help increase tribal members’ access to vaccination, as well as take the burden off from having to drive in “austere winter conditions.”
In addition to more vaccines, Indian Health Services (IHS) is allocating $1 billion it received to help with COVID-19 response. Of the $1 billion, $790 million will go to testing, contact tracing, containment, and mitigation, among other things. Another $210 million will support IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs for vaccine-related activities to ensure broad-based distribution, access, and vaccine coverage. The money is part of the fifth round of supplemental COVID-19 funding from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The funds transferred so far amount to nearly $3 billion.
According to IHS, the money can be used to scale up testing by public health, academic, commercial, and hospital laboratories, as well as community-based testing sites, mobile testing units, healthcare facilities, and other entities engaged in COVID-19 testing. The funds are also legally available to lease or purchase non-federally owned facilities to improve COVID-19 preparedness and response capability.
The Biden Administration launched the first phase of the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. Beginning February 15, FQHCs (including centers in the Urban Indian Health Program) began directly receiving vaccines.
The announcement coincided with a boost in vaccine supply for states, Tribes, and territories. In early February, the Biden Administration announced it would expand vaccine supply to 11 million doses nationwide, a 28% increase since January 20, when President Biden took office. According to a White House fact sheet, “The Administration is committing to maintaining this as the minimum supply level for the next three weeks, and we will continue to work with manufacturers in their efforts to ramp up supply.”
In February, President Biden and Vice President Harris travelled to Arizona and toured a vaccination site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Arizona, one of the first states to reach out for federal help from the new administration, has 15 counties and 22 Tribes with sovereign lands in the state. Those 37 entities work collaboratively with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said Major General Michael McGuire, head of the Arizona National Guard.
In his remarks during the tour, President Biden addressed equity, saying, “[I]t really does matter that we have access to the people who are most in need [and are] most affected by the COVID crisis, dying at faster rates, getting sick at faster rates, …but not being able to get into the mix. …Equity is a big thing.”
To that end, one of the programs under way is to stand up four vaccination centers for the Navajo Nation. Tammy Littrell, Acting Regional Administrator for FEMA, said the centers will help increase tribal members’ access to vaccination, as well as take the burden off from having to drive in “austere winter conditions.”
In addition to more vaccines, Indian Health Services (IHS) is allocating $1 billion it received to help with COVID-19 response. Of the $1 billion, $790 million will go to testing, contact tracing, containment, and mitigation, among other things. Another $210 million will support IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs for vaccine-related activities to ensure broad-based distribution, access, and vaccine coverage. The money is part of the fifth round of supplemental COVID-19 funding from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The funds transferred so far amount to nearly $3 billion.
According to IHS, the money can be used to scale up testing by public health, academic, commercial, and hospital laboratories, as well as community-based testing sites, mobile testing units, healthcare facilities, and other entities engaged in COVID-19 testing. The funds are also legally available to lease or purchase non-federally owned facilities to improve COVID-19 preparedness and response capability.
The Biden Administration launched the first phase of the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. Beginning February 15, FQHCs (including centers in the Urban Indian Health Program) began directly receiving vaccines.
The announcement coincided with a boost in vaccine supply for states, Tribes, and territories. In early February, the Biden Administration announced it would expand vaccine supply to 11 million doses nationwide, a 28% increase since January 20, when President Biden took office. According to a White House fact sheet, “The Administration is committing to maintaining this as the minimum supply level for the next three weeks, and we will continue to work with manufacturers in their efforts to ramp up supply.”
In February, President Biden and Vice President Harris travelled to Arizona and toured a vaccination site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Arizona, one of the first states to reach out for federal help from the new administration, has 15 counties and 22 Tribes with sovereign lands in the state. Those 37 entities work collaboratively with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said Major General Michael McGuire, head of the Arizona National Guard.
In his remarks during the tour, President Biden addressed equity, saying, “[I]t really does matter that we have access to the people who are most in need [and are] most affected by the COVID crisis, dying at faster rates, getting sick at faster rates, …but not being able to get into the mix. …Equity is a big thing.”
To that end, one of the programs under way is to stand up four vaccination centers for the Navajo Nation. Tammy Littrell, Acting Regional Administrator for FEMA, said the centers will help increase tribal members’ access to vaccination, as well as take the burden off from having to drive in “austere winter conditions.”
In addition to more vaccines, Indian Health Services (IHS) is allocating $1 billion it received to help with COVID-19 response. Of the $1 billion, $790 million will go to testing, contact tracing, containment, and mitigation, among other things. Another $210 million will support IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs for vaccine-related activities to ensure broad-based distribution, access, and vaccine coverage. The money is part of the fifth round of supplemental COVID-19 funding from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The funds transferred so far amount to nearly $3 billion.
According to IHS, the money can be used to scale up testing by public health, academic, commercial, and hospital laboratories, as well as community-based testing sites, mobile testing units, healthcare facilities, and other entities engaged in COVID-19 testing. The funds are also legally available to lease or purchase non-federally owned facilities to improve COVID-19 preparedness and response capability.