NH75OT000065

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

The National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities grant will be utilized to implement evidence-based strategies to address COVID-19 and advance health equity in racial and ethnic minority groups and rural communities within Florida.

Florida is the third most populous state with over 20.2 million residents living within 67 counties and has the highest percentage of elderly residents in the U.S., with 18.4% of the population over age 65. According to the 2010 Census, Florida is comprised of 53.5% non-Hispanic white, 25.7% Hispanic, 16.9% African American (includes Afro-Caribbean), 2.9% Asian American, and 0.5% Native American. Florida has one of the largest African-American populations in the country and has the second-highest Latino population on the East Coast outside of New York State.

Approximately 9% (1.8 million) of Florida's population lives in rural areas with limited resources and access to care, and nearly 70% of Florida land is designated as rural. The Department will implement strategies to increase the awareness and accessibility of evidence-based interventions and ultimately reduce the burden of chronic conditions in the state that worsen the severity of COVID-19 infection in high-risk populations.

To aid in increasing access to COVID-19 prevention, contact tracing, and vaccination, the Department will collaborate with Community Health Worker (CHW) associations to train, deploy, and engage CHWs in the response. In addition, strategies focusing on improving data collection will enable the Department to direct resources to populations experiencing a disproportionate burden of COVID-19. Interventions in this area will include data collection methods and visualization of community needs that support local, regional, and state strategic planning to address social determinants of health.

The Department will build infrastructure that will sustain the priorities of disparate populations to improve conditions where people live, learn, play, work, and pray. The Department has integrated strategies to mobilize partners, like the Florida Rural Health Network, to improve social determinants of health for a generation who are most vulnerable to future public health emergencies.

With each year, the Department will analyze successes and barriers through data evaluation and conduct quality improvement measures to ensure continual success beyond the lifespan of this funding.

Florida Department Of Health

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]

Tallahassee, Florida 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 05/31/24 and the total obligations have decreased 13% from $34,975,106 to $30,308,081.