Kamala Harris announces $250 million in federal grant funding to organizations that tackle COVID-19 response gaps

The Biden-Harris administration is keen on getting COVID-19 relief to all Americans with the speed of vaccinations already increasing. In an effort to help those in underserved communities, Vice President Kamala Harris announced the $250 million federal grant funding to organizations that help take on the response inequities to the pandemic.

Harris made the announcement Monday, during her remarks to the National League of Cities, that the Biden administration will be investing $250 million in federal grants. These grants would go to community organizations that address the inequities in the response to the pandemic. This would mean the underserved and minority communities which the organizations would encourage to get vaccinated and adopt safety practices to avoid contracting or spreading the coronavirus.

The Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of Minority Health will be leading the initiative, called Advancing Health Literacy to Enhance Equitable Community Responses to COVID-19. An HHS official said that this initiative aims to help local governments boost their efforts in their COVID-19 response, from testing, contract tracing, and other preventative measures while cooperating with organizations that know how to support their communities. In her speech, Harris encouraged the members of the organization to get on board with the plan.

The vice president has already been trying to instill confidence in the vaccines that are already being distributed in an effort to lessen the vaccination disparities that stem from racial, cultural, and socioeconomic concerns. Some of these concerns have also been a result of the distrust in the vaccine among minorities.

Previously, Harris spoke to the members of the European Parliament on International Women’s Day. During the event that honored women empowerment as well as women’s leadership throughout the pandemic, Harris called on the nations to build a world that would work for women. The vice president stressed that it would be a show of strength rather than an act of goodwill, which would also lead to a safer and more prosperous world.

“I believe we must ensure women’s safety at home and in every community,” said Harris. “We must ensure that women can access high-quality healthcare and that those health needs particular to women are addressed. We must treat women with dignity at work, and put in place the structures needed so that women both care for their families and excel in the workforce. Finally, we must give women equal voice in decision-making, for this is essential to free and fair democracies.”