CDC Foundation and Anthem Foundation Support Local Communities with COVID-19 Vaccination Resources

Funding will support community-based organizations’ COVID-19 vaccination messages and locally-focused programs across the country

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected society, with disproportionately affected populations experiencing the hardest impact. Community-based organizations (CBO) play an important role and serve as a trusted asset providing valuable services to the members of their communities where they work, live and play. To help further engage CBOs with their COVID-19 response efforts, the CDC Foundation and Anthem Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc., are partnering to provide tools and resources for their pandemic response in at-risk communities around the country.

The $250,000 grant is divided among seven CBOs across the country and focuses on ensuring important COVID-19 prevention and vaccination messages are received and acted upon, as well as launching locally-focused programs to save and improve lives, focusing on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

“One lesson we have learned from this pandemic is that people need to hear from people they know in their communities. Community-based organizations are authentic and trusted community voices and through their engagement and programs they can help share important information and increase vaccination access and acceptance,” said Judy Monroe, MD, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. “We are grateful for Anthem Foundation’s support and commitment to helping communities that have been highly impacted by the pandemic.”

The grant opportunities offer unique programs and services at each location and will focus on a variety of efforts within each of their communities including providing resources, technological support and leadership training; developing culturally appropriate mitigation strategies and materials; developing community needs assessments, social media campaigns, community outreach and education and vaccine clinics; and conducting virtual learning sessions and community engagement forums.

“The pandemic exposed the health inequities that exist within our country and our healthcare system,” said Shantanu Agrawal, MD, chief health officer, Anthem, Inc. “Through our partnership with the CDC Foundation and community-based organizations, the Anthem Foundation is helping to ensure safe access to COVID-19 vaccinations, resources and tools in our at-risk communities. Together we are working to reduce health disparities and inequities and create lasting change for future generations.”

More than 78,000 individuals are expected to be impacted by the program through the following participating CBOs:

• Change Happens, Houston, TX;
• Guadalupe Centers, Kansas City, MO;
• Indiana Minority Health Coalition across Indiana;
• Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health, Shaw, MS;
• Pacific Islander Health Board of Washington, King County, WA;
• Somali Health Board, Tukwila, WA; and
• The University of Nevada Las Vegas Foundation, Las Vegas, NV.

About the CDC Foundation The CDC Foundation helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world. The CDC Foundation is the go-to nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support CDC’s critical health protection mission. Since 1995, the CDC Foundation has raised over $1.2 billion and launched more than 1,200 programs impacting a variety of health threats from chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like rotavirus and HIV, to emergency responses, including COVID-19 and Ebola. The CDC Foundation managed hundreds of CDC-led programs in the United States and in more than 140 countries last year.

About Anthem Foundation The Anthem Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc. and through charitable contributions and programs, the Foundation promotes the organization’s commitment to improving lives and communities. Through strategic partnerships and programs, the Foundation addresses the social drivers that will help create a healthier generation of Americans in communities that Anthem, Inc. and its affiliated health plans serve. The Foundation focuses its funding on critical initiatives that make up its Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets: maternal health, diabetes prevention, cancer prevention, heart health and healthy, active lifestyles, behavioral health efforts and programs that benefit people with disabilities. The Foundation also coordinates the company’s year-round Dollars for Dollars program which provides a 100 percent match of associates’ donations, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. To learn more about the Anthem Foundation, please visit http://www.anthem.foundation and its blog at https://medium.com/anthemfoundation.