NCOA Joins National Initiative to Promote COVID Vaccination

Local partners to provide education and benefits screenings to seniors in areas with low vaccination rates

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Aug 19, 2021, 09:00 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Council on Aging (NCOA), the voice for every person's right to age well, has joined with Communities RISE Together, a national coalition funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to promote vaccinations in underserved communities and communities of color in more than 25 states and territories with low vaccination rates.*

The National Council on Aging is partnering with community based organizations in 25 states and territories where vaccination rates are low by mobilizing and supporting aging experts who can help vulnerable older adults overcome vaccine barriers and hesitancy.

Under the initiative spearheaded by WE in the World and the Public Health Institute, NCOA will leverage its long-standing partnerships with senior centers, benefit enrollments centers, and other community-based organizations serving older adults to support equity in vaccination.

The COVID pandemic has revealed and worsened persistent racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health inequities, with vastly different rates of COVID cases, vaccination rates, and health and life outcomes in communities of color. The Communities RISE Together initiative aims to address these gaps through local messengers who are already on the ground and have deep trust in communities.

"This is an opportunity to mobilize and support our local experts in the aging network who understand their communities best and can encourage older adults who have not yet been vaccinated to get their shots," said Ramsey Alwin, NCOA President and CEO. "While millions of older adults were among the first to receive the COVID vaccine, we still must reach the 22% of Americans aged 75 and over who are not fully vaccinated yet, many of whom are underserved people of color."

Over the six-month project, NCOA will work across 12 states in 35 counties for targeted vaccination outreach, education, and awareness. In addition to promoting the vaccine, NCOA partners will screen all older adults for benefits programs that can help them afford daily expenses such as food, medicine, and utilities. All Communities RISE Together partners will use NCOA's online BenefitsCheckUp^® tool to screen individuals for hundreds of public and private benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicare's Extra Help.

Other Communities RISE Together partners include CHROMATIC BLACK, the Center for Popular Democracy, the Hawai'i Public Health Institute, Latino Health Access, the Migrant Clinicians Network, Meals on Wheels America, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, the Public Health Institute's Center to Advance Community Health and Equity, and WE in the World/WIN Network.

Follow #CommunitiesRISE on social media to see work as it happens across the country.

About NCOA 

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is the national voice for every person's right to age well. We believe that how we age should not be determined by gender, color, sexuality, income, or zip code. Working with thousands of national and local partners, we provide resources, tools, best practices, and advocacy to ensure every person can age with health and financial security. Founded in 1950, we are the oldest national organization focused on older adults. Learn more at www.ncoa.org and @NCOAging. 

* States and territories include Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Federated States of Micronesia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.