Federal agencies form partnership to bring coronavirus vaccines to public housing and shelters

“We are going to go where you are, and we are going to invest in you. . . . I don’t believe Zip codes were ever meant to tell you what the status of your health would be,” Becerra said. He acknowledged the nation’s neighborhoods that are home to low-income Americans tend to be less healthy and — this year — have lower coronavirus vaccination rates.

The two federal departments are launching the project as the largest mass vaccination campaign in U.S. history — widely regarded as a path out of the worst public health crisis in a century — has been pivoting. In the early phase of the effort, which began in December, vaccine supplies were scarce. More recently, doses have become plentiful, but the pace of people getting shots has been slowing. ...

The project falls under an executive order Biden issued in January, on his second day in office, to “prevent and remedy differences in covid-19 care and outcomes” in communities of color and other places where residents have scarce access to health services. ...

 A letter, signed last week by Becerra and Fudge, urges federally funded community health centers to collaborate with HUD housing programs to vaccinate their residents. According to HHS estimates, the goal is to involve perhaps 200 health centers nationally.