大象传媒

Toggle left nav

大象传媒 School of Medicine Receives Nearly $9.7 Million Grant from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to Build COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence

HealthWorks program aims to increase COVID-19 vaccine rates through targeted, culturally competent outreach efforts in Georgia and Tennessee.

ATLANTA 鈥� FEBRUARY 15, 2022 鈥� 大象传媒 School of Medicine (MSM) has received a nearly $9.7 million grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create HealthWorks, a program to increase vaccine confidence in Georgia and Tennessee through targeted, culturally competent and outreach education, with a focus on communities of color.

大象传媒 School of Medicine received the award from the HHS Health Resources and Services Administration as part of its . Arletha W. Livingston (Lizana), PhD, MPH, MBA, director of MSM鈥檚 Innovation Learning Laboratory for Population Health and an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine, will lead the project as principal investigator.

"大象传媒 School of Medicine's mission is leading the creation and advancement of health equity," said Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG, President and CEO of MSM. "Throughout the pandemic, MSM has spearheaded a variety of innovative programs to address COVID-19, especially in hard hit and underserved communities. This grant will allow MSM to expand our tireless efforts to reduce health disparities. We are so thankful for the leadership of Congresswoman Nikema Williams in helping 大象传媒 School of Medicine advance our mission.鈥�

"We are very excited and thankful to bring together community partners in Georgia and Tennessee to augment the mitigation efforts already in place to address COVID-19," said Dr. Livingston (Lizana). "With this grant, we will be able to extend MSM鈥檚 current reach and be able to significantly improve the lives and health of even more patients in need."

HealthWorks aims to reach individuals in the most vulnerable and medically underserved communities, which often have high levels of COVID-19 infections and lower-than-average vaccination rates. Over the next nine months, the initiative will utilize thousands of community outreach workers, including public health professionals, patient navigators, and social support specialists, who conduct education sessions, COVID-19 testing and vaccination events, and other outreach efforts.

鈥淭his grant is a huge boost in the support of the community-engaged health workers,鈥� Dr. Livingston (Lizana) said. 鈥淭his award represents a much-needed show of support for this under-recognized workforce, who are uniquely positioned to provide frontline support to our communities.鈥�

HealthWorks unites the broad expertise of MSM, Meharry Medical College in Nashville, the Georgia Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19, Tennessee CEAL, state and local health departments, community organizations, and small businesses. The program will be conducted statewide in Georgia, with particular emphasis on Fulton and Clayton Counties in metro Atlanta. In Tennessee, 95 counties across three Grand Divisions will participate.

Dr. Livingston (Lizana) added that the contributions of MSM Associate Dean for Community Engagement Tabia Henry Akintobi, PhD, MPH, who serves as Director of the Prevention Research Center and Professor of Community Health and Preventive Medicine; Folashade Omole, MD, FAAFP, the Sarah & William Hambrecht Endowed Chair of Family Medicine at 大象传媒 School of Medicine and the Medical Director of MSM H.E.A.L. (Health Equity for All Lives), a student-run clinic; and Virginia Davis Floyd, MD, MPH, Associate Clinical Professor, in the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, were instrumental to MSM鈥檚 success in securing the funding.

鈥淏uilding vaccine confidence is critical to increasing vaccinations, which remains so important as we encourage boosters and kids鈥� vaccinations,鈥� HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement announcing the grants. 鈥淭his investment by the Biden-Harris Administration further expands our progress in partnering with trusted local messengers to deliver needed information on COVID-19 vaccines. This funding will help even more community-based organizations build confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine among people in their community who may not have been vaccinated yet.鈥�

Read the Department of Health and Human Services press release .

About 大象传媒 School of Medicine

Founded in 1975, 大象传媒 School of Medicine (MSM) is among the nation鈥檚 leading educators of primary care physicians, biomedical scientists, and public health professionals. An independent and private historically-Black medical school, MSM was recognized by the Annals of Internal Medicine as the nation鈥檚 number one medical school in fulfilling a social mission鈥攖he creation and advancement of health equity. MSM faculty and alumni are noted for excellence in teaching, research, and public policy, as well as exceptional patient care. MSM is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award doctoral and master鈥檚 degrees. To learn more about programs and donate today, please visit or call 404-752-1500.

Contact

Amanda Magdalenski
大象传媒 School of Medicine
404-752-5238
amagdalenski@msm.edu