NH75OT000058

Boston Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations

The Boston Public Health Commission will implement the Boston Initiative to address COVID-19 health disparities among populations at high-risk and underserved, including racial and ethnic minority populations. The goals of this project are to build capacity as a public health department and better integrate public health preparedness, racial equity, equitable community engagement, and workforce development with a focus on the public health workforce of the future throughout the organization.

Among the BPHC bureaus to be involved in implementing the activities in this grant are:

(A) Child, Adolescent, and Family Health, which oversees our maternal and child health programs (including the HRSA funded Boston Healthy Start Initiative and our home visiting programs), early childhood mental health, school-based health centers, neighborhood-based violence prevention and trauma response, and a range of youth development and peer leadership programs.

(B) Community Health Initiatives, which develops and carries out programs to support healthy eating and active living, injury prevention, tobacco control, occupational health, asthma control, lead poisoning prevention, workplace safety and health, and access to health services.

(C) Infectious Disease, which leads our COVID-19 response and is responsible for surveillance and control of communicable diseases dangerous to the public's health such as hepatitis, norovirus, meningitis, and measles. The bureau also operates a syndromic surveillance system within Boston to provide real-time situational awareness.

(D) Emergency Medical Services, Boston's municipal EMS system and the largest EMS in New England. BPHC's Office of Public Health Preparedness, which carries out preparedness, response, and recovery roles dealing with the health and medical impacts of emergencies, particularly for those most vulnerable, reports directly to the executive office.

In our COVID-19 response to address inequities in health conditions and social determinants of health that increase vulnerability to COVID-19 or are impacted by it, we engage a wide range of community partners. Among the types of partners we are currently engaging in this work—and who are expected to be involved in carrying out some of the activities outlined in our application—are community health centers, hospitals, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, organizations serving immigrants and specific racial/ethnic communities, labor unions and other worker organizations, K-12 education, early childhood, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Throughout the pandemic, we have worked with a group of immigrant-serving media to increase access to information and resources.

Boston Public Health Commission

NOT APPLICABLE

93.354 - Public Health Emergency Response: Cooperative Agreement for Emergency Response: Public Health Crisis Response

CDC Office of Financial Resources (OFR) [HHS - CDC]

Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (CSTLTS) [HHS - CDC]

Boston, Massachusetts United States

City-Wide

National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities (CDC-RFA-OT21-2103)

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 05/31/23 to 05/31/25.