State & Health Plan Resources to Promote
COVID-19 Vaccination Access
CMS - June 4, 2021
Dually eligible individuals have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and likely face barriers to accessing vaccination. Health plans and PACE programs are uniquely positioned to ensure equitable access and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine among dually eligible individuals. Resources for Integrated Care has posted several resources that may be of interest to states and health plans.
The health plan-focused COVID-19 Vaccination Blog series highlights promising practices to connect hard-to-reach individuals with COVID-19 vaccination by addressing barriers such as healthcare issues, chronic conditions, and unmet social risk factors. Other resources include:
Vaccines.gov - Making it Easier to Find Vaccines
The federally supported website that will make it easier for individuals to access COVID-19 vaccines is now live. Vaccines.gov – powered by the trusted VaccineFinder brand – is available in English and Spanish, with high accessibility standard, and will help connect Americans with locations offering vaccines near them. It is meant to complement the number of state and pharmacy websites that have been successfully connecting many Americans with vaccinations, by providing a unified federal resource for Americans to use no matter where they are.
Access to a vaccine should not be an obstacle for someone to get vaccinated. Here are three vaccine tools to bring to your communities right now:
For more information on CMS COVID-19 Partner Updates, please contact Partnership@cms.hhs.gov.
The health plan-focused COVID-19 Vaccination Blog series highlights promising practices to connect hard-to-reach individuals with COVID-19 vaccination by addressing barriers such as healthcare issues, chronic conditions, and unmet social risk factors. Other resources include:
- Promoting Disability-Competent Care during COVID-19 webinar recording and transcript;
- Diabetes Care Assessment, Planning, and Management during COVID-19 webinar recording and transcript;
- Strategies for Health Plans to Support Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Vulnerable Populations webinar recording and transcript; and
- COVID-19 Vaccination Promotion Checklist for Health Plans.
Vaccines.gov - Making it Easier to Find Vaccines
The federally supported website that will make it easier for individuals to access COVID-19 vaccines is now live. Vaccines.gov – powered by the trusted VaccineFinder brand – is available in English and Spanish, with high accessibility standard, and will help connect Americans with locations offering vaccines near them. It is meant to complement the number of state and pharmacy websites that have been successfully connecting many Americans with vaccinations, by providing a unified federal resource for Americans to use no matter where they are.
Access to a vaccine should not be an obstacle for someone to get vaccinated. Here are three vaccine tools to bring to your communities right now:
- Visit vaccines.gov (English) or vacunas.gov (Spanish) to search and find a vaccine near you.
- Text GETVAX (438829) for English or VACUNA (822862) for Spanish to receive three vaccine sites on your phone within seconds.
- Call the National COVID-19 Vaccination Assistance Hotline at 1-800-232-0233 for those who prefer to get information via phone call.
For more information on CMS COVID-19 Partner Updates, please contact Partnership@cms.hhs.gov.