Two Lancaster County nonprofits have received state grants for grassroots Covid-19 vaccination and outreach efforts.
Patients R Waiting received $90,000, while the Spanish American Civic Association, or SACA, received $73,500.
They were among 65 grant recipients statewide awarded a total of $2.5 million through the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development's federally funded Covid-10 Vaccine Outreach Grant program.
The grants can be used to fund pop-up clinics, local promotional and media events and creation of educational material, among other things.
Dr. Cherise Hamblin, director of Patients R Waiting, said the nonprofit is planning a six-week "music festival and vaccination effort." The first event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7.
Jacqueline Fisher, SACA executive director, said it will conduct a messaging campaign and hold pop-up vaccine clinics throughout 2022.
The DCED's grant program builds on an earlier effort to mobilize grassroots vaccination efforts in partnership with local United Way chapters.
"By providing funding to grassroots organizations for vaccine outreach efforts, we’re enabling them to serve as trusted messengers in vaccine-hesitant communities and promote the Covid-19 vaccine as a safe and effective way to protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus," Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement.
