DHS Announces Multiple Funding Opportunities to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities
Today, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced funds will be made available to promote racial and geographic equity in the COVID-19 response. DHS was awarded $27 million by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to combat inequities related to COVID-19 infection, illness, and death, including $9 million dedicated to rural communities. In a separate appropriation, an additional $13 million in funding has been set aside to continue the Vaccine Community Outreach grant program, which funds organizations across Wisconsin to increase vaccinations by serving as trusted messengers within their communities, build vaccine confidence, and reduce barriers that hinder vaccine access for marginalized or underserved populations.
As part of this initiative, DHS announces “Mobilizing Communities for a Just Response” — a grant program that seeks to support Wisconsin’s local and tribal health departments and nonprofits in addressing health inequities and the broader consequences of the COVID-19-pandemic. Agencies and organizations located within rural areas or serving rural communities to advance equity and remove barriers to health are encouraged to apply. With $3 million to distribute to organizations, Mobilizing Communities for a Just Response seeks to decrease rates of infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 among underserved communities in Wisconsin. The Request for Applications (RFA) is available. To learn more about this $27 million grant and for additional funding opportunities, visit our Health Disparities Grant webpage.
“I’m proud of our vaccine program has been a national leader in getting available shots in arms and that we’ve now vaccinated more than 3 million Wisconsinites,” said Governor Evers. “Getting the vaccine is an essential part of our state’s economic recovery, and it’s also key to our efforts to make sure everyone in our communities bounce back, especially folks who’ve been disproportionately affected by this pandemic.”
Both of these grants are funded through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
For up-to-date information about Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response, visit the DHS COVID-19 webpage. You can also follow @DHSWI on Facebook(link is external), Twitter(link is external), or dhs.wi on Instagram(link is external) for more information on COVID-19.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Governors Tony Evers, JB Pritzker, Tim Walz, and Gretchen Whitmer Issue a Joint Statement Concerning Reports that Donald Trump Gave Russian Dictator Putin American COVID-19 Supplies - Gov. Tony Evers - Oct 11th, 2024
- MHD Release: Milwaukee Health Department Launches COVID-19 Wastewater Testing Dashboard - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Jan 23rd, 2024
- Milwaukee County Announces New Policies Related to COVID-19 Pandemic - County Executive David Crowley - May 9th, 2023
- DHS Details End of Emergency COVID-19 Response - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Apr 26th, 2023
- Milwaukee Health Department Announces Upcoming Changes to COVID-19 Services - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Mar 17th, 2023
- Fitzgerald Applauds Passage of COVID-19 Origin Act - U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald - Mar 10th, 2023
- DHS Expands Free COVID-19 Testing Program - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Feb 10th, 2023
- MKE County: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rising - Graham Kilmer - Jan 16th, 2023
- Not Enough Getting Bivalent Booster Shots, State Health Officials Warn - Gaby Vinick - Dec 26th, 2022
- Nearly All Wisconsinites Age 6 Months and Older Now Eligible for Updated COVID-19 Vaccine - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Dec 15th, 2022
Read more about Coronavirus Pandemic here
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