Two area health care associations are among the agencies sharing in more than $6 million in federal funding to help with COVID-19 inoculations in West Virginia’s rural areas.
U.S. Senators Joe Manchin, D-WV and Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV, members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced Wednesday that $6,004,515 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will be distributed to 31 health centers across West Virginia. The funding will support providing updated COVID-19 vaccinations in West Virginia communities, with a focus on underserved populations.
Two of the health organizations that were awarded federal funding are from southern West Virginia. The Tug River Health Association in McDowell County received $110,398 and the Bluestone Health Association in Mercer County received $228,343.
“The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and vital as we continue to protect ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19, which is why I am pleased HHS is investing more than $6 million to boost vaccination efforts across West Virginia,” Manchin said. “The funding announced today will help expand drive-up, walk-up and community-based vaccination events, bolster outreach initiatives and strengthen translation and interpretation services to ensure everyone who wants a vaccine can get one, especially as flu cases and other respiratory diseases peak. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for resources to support our healthcare organizations as they care for West Virginians across the Mountain State.”
“These grants give our state more resources to allow every West Virginian the access to address their healthcare needs. This money also provides more tools to healthcare providers to better help them address the health needs for people across our state. Strengthening our health care infrastructure and making sure West Virginians have access to the care they want is essential,” Capito stated.