United Way of Greater Newark and Greater Newark Health Care Coalition Announce Grants Over $ 500,000

United Way of Greater Newark, along with the Greater Newark Health Care Coalition, awarded more than $ 500,000 to Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Project Ready, Bessie Mae Women’s Health Center and North Jersey Aids Alliance to fund COVID vaccination efforts -19 in Irvington, East Orange, Orange and Newark.

The funding will help launch mobile vaccination clinics in neighborhoods as well as community awareness and public information campaigns.

The initiative is funded by the New Jersey Department of Human Services to “help ensure equitable distribution of vaccines” in these areas.

Catherine Wilson, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Newark, said: “Through our continued work to increase access and equity in vaccine distribution in underfunded communities, we know that the most effective strategies are collaborative and community-led. This is why we have partnered with the Greater Newark Health Care Coalition to provide grants and support to these local organizations and institutions that have experience in these communities.

She added, “With the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, neighborhoods with low vaccination rates are at significant risk. We are grateful to the Department of Social Services and the Greater Newark Health Care Coalition for their partnership in this urgent work.

Keri Logosso-Misurell, Executive Director of the Greater Newark Health Care Coalition, added: “When a community works together to fight back, fewer people end up in the hospital and vaccines are part of that strategy. The partnership with United Way of Greater Newark will help strengthen our ability to defeat COVID-19 by funding vaccination sites in areas accessible to people with mobility challenges, as well as ensuring that the information they encounter on the vaccine are accurate, complete and easy to understand. . Catherine has been a critical leader in vaccine equity initiatives in the greater Newark area, and we are delighted to continue our work in these areas. “

These grants are part of United Way of Greater Newark’s ongoing efforts to support community models aimed at increasing access and equity in vaccine distribution in underserved areas. To learn more about United Way of Greater Newark, visit https://uwnewark.org/