COVID-19 Testing and Prevention Collaborative

COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting people of color and low-income communities. Due to disparities regarding employment in working essential jobs, living in crowded housing (>1 person/500 sq. ft), and the use of public transportation, these populations face increased exposure to COVID-19. Coupled with higher rates of chronic disease and poor healthcare access, those exposed also experience relatively worse morbidity and mortality outcomes. The region’s Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and long-standing members of Better Health Partnership, have always played a critical role in serving communities of color and low-income populations. FQHCs serve over 50,000 low-income residents of Cuyahoga County, with nearly half being non-White. Now more than ever, there is an urgent need to ensure FQHCs work collectively to effectively reach as many people as possible with testing and vaccinations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to keep minority populations working and children returning to school safely. Six FQHCs engaged Better Health Partnership in August of 2020 to establish a COVID Testing and Prevention Collaborative to assist them with convening stakeholders from public health, hospitals, payers, community organizations, and with implementing project management for testing and vaccine distribution, systems - thinking and data analysis - enabling them to optimize their impact for the populations served.