The Department of Public Health announced Tuesday it will help 20 municipalities — which have been both disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and historically underserved — build awareness of vaccine safety and efficacy and reduce barriers to immunization.
The targeted initiative focuses on Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Randolph, Revere, Springfield and Worcester.
The DPH plans to support tailored efforts based on each community’s needs and is offering supports including providing vaccine ambassadors to share information and materials, disseminating culturally appropriate vaccine information in multiple languages, hiring local residents for outreach efforts like door-knocking campaigns, and coordinating groups including community health centers, local boards of health, and community and faith-based organizations.
The Baker administration also announced Tuesday it had invested $1 million in the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers to support centers’ efforts to address vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccination rates for hard-hit individuals and communities.
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