Harris announces $250M grant program to boost ‘health literacy’

Vice President Harris on Monday announced a $250 million grant program aimed at boosting “health literacy” and ensuring Americans in underserved communities have information about coronavirus vaccines and other issues.

“Our administration will offer $250 million in grants for localities to partner with community organizations on health literacy,” Harris announced in virtual remarks before the National League of Cities conference on Monday. “Our goal is to provide underserved communities with the information they need to stay safe and to get vaccinated.”

“Information and education saves lives,” she added.

The vice president said that the Biden administration anticipates funding 30 projects in urban communities and 43 in rural communities over two years. Harris said that localities can apply for grants through the program with the Department of Health and Human Services through April 20.

The effort comes as the Biden administration looks for ways to address disparities in the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on underserved communities and particularly communities of color.

The White House is trying to combat vaccine hesitancy in particular so that the United States can see enough American adults vaccinated for COVID-19 in order to reach herd immunity. Those in minority communities and rural communities have been shown to be hesitant towards receiving the vaccine.

Biden announced last week that the U.S. would have enough vaccine for every American adult by the end of May, putting the country on an accelerated timeline to get all adults vaccinated. But the U.S. will only be able to return to normal life once enough people get vaccinated to reach herd immunity, which is believed to be around 80 percent of the population.

Harris has already sought to use her position to urge Americans to get vaccinated and convince them of the safety of vaccines that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. She visited a Giant Food pharmacy in Washington, D.C., last month to promote a federal program supplying pharmacies with vaccines and also received her Moderna vaccinations on camera.