Frequently Asked Questions

Communities RISE Together, an initiative funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services will work to promote vaccinations in Black, Asian-American/Pacific-Islander, Latinx, Native-American, rural, immigrant/migrant and low-income older adult populations in more than 220 counties in over 25 states and territories* with low vaccination rates. The states and territories include Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Federated States of Micronesia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Communities were chosen by talking with our partners on the ground about the need and opportunity in their communities, looking at the data for vaccination access or distribution barriers, social vulnerability index, and vaccine hesitancy. Three data sources informed how RISE identified the needs of our targeted population and the areas that are most vulnerable and medically underserved are the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index, the May 2021 US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey and the Kaiser Family Foundation COVID -19 “Vaccination is LocalCOVID-19 Vaccination Rates Vary by County and Key Characteristics”  Report.    

Communities RISE believes that to implement social change, our partners need to build on trust and enhance civic capacity. Our strategies involve mapping and matching those who have earned trust within diverse communities with people who are at risk due to physical and mental health conditions and other social and economic factors such as food insecurity, fear of deportation, under- and unemployment, inability to pay rent or mortgage, etc.

Trusted community intermediaries, networks and accompaniers (grassroots organizations, organizers, health workers, and promotores), will assess community needs and connect people with resources—like COVID-19 and flu vaccines, health care coverage, unemployment insurance, SNAP, voter registration, and more. At the same time, we will further build capacity and infrastructure for communities to become the owners and generators of solutions.  

We will help communities pool and coordinate resources and assets to meet needs as they emerge and to connect with others and share learnings across communities. This builds pathways for longer-term culture, mindset, policy, and systems change.  To learn more about Communities RISE please read our COVID Trustworthy and Equitable Implementation Guide.

Please email us at [email protected].  We would love to connect with your community.  Some free offerings for communities include:

• Links to resources and up to date information for your COVID response
• Access to data to drive an equitable response in your community
• Connections to other communities
• Access to free training for community outreach workers on vaccine outreach, using data for improvement and equity, addressing misinformation and disinformation, narrative change campaigns, community organizing, and charting a path for long-term resilience and renewal
• Information about funding and resources to support an equitable response in your community