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by Alison Barkoff, Acting Administrator and Assistant
Secretary for Aging
April 2, 2021
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In a briefing by President Biden on Monday about the
nation’s vaccination efforts, he announced a new initiative to
support vaccine access for people with disabilities and older adults. The
initiative will provide ACL with almost $100 million in new funding
from the CDC to
provide grants to ACL’s aging and disability networks to address
barriers to vaccinations.
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This past Saturday, I saw firsthand how ACL’s networks are
assisting with vaccine access. I was one of many volunteers who
signed on to help the ENDependence Center of
Northern Virginia provide vaccinations to people with
disabilities and caregivers. Held in collaboration with several partners,
the ENDependence clinics have successfully vaccinated over 1,000 people
with disabilities, caregivers, family members and housemates. This is
just one example of the many ways that ACL’s aging and disability
networks are assisting – from providing specialized vaccine clinics like
this one, to providing transportation and in-person assistance at
vaccination sites, to providing outreach to identify people who may need
the vaccine to come to them and address vaccine hesitancy.
Over the past year, it has been a long and frightening journey
for people with disabilities and older adults. We have watched with
horror as hospitalizations and deaths mounted, seeing people with
disabilities and older adults – particularly those in congregate settings
or who are multiply marginalized – suffer disproportionately. We
all worked hard to advocate that policy makers prioritize older adults,
people with disabilities, caregivers and underserved populations. We knew
that issues of equity, including racial equity, needed to be at the
forefront of conversations.
It has not been easy, but we have had recent successes and
are, perhaps, rounding the corner. The CDC funds ACL received on Monday
will soon be distributed to State Units on Aging and Area Agencies on
Aging ($50 million), Aging and Disability Resource Centers ($26 million),
Centers for Independent Living that receive federal funding directly from
ACL ($5 million), University Centers of Excellence in Developmental
Disabilities ($4 million), Protection and Advocacy systems ($4 million)
and State Councils on Developmental Disabilities ($4 million).
In addition to the $93 million described above, another $5
million will be provided to fund a hotline that will connect older adults
and people with disabilities seeking a vaccine with local disability and
aging agencies. Via the hotline, people will be able to receive
assistance with vaccine registration and get connected with services and
supports to help them obtain a vaccination. We expect this part of
the effort to be fully operational in about two weeks. To learn more
about the ACL-CDC partnership, click here.
We’re not out of the woods yet, but the good news is
starting to outweigh the bad. What I saw on Saturday when I volunteered
with ENDependence certainly left me with an optimistic feeling. Even when
I look back to the pandemic’s darkest hours, I know that the dedication
exemplified by the disability and aging community, including our networks,
kept hope alive. Now, in the midst of the vaccination phase of the
response, perhaps we can begin to celebrate our successes.
As you watch our nation’s more than 20,000 community-based
organizations spring into action to ensure that everyone has equal access
to vaccinations, I hope you will help spread the word. Many people have
been frustrated as they tried to get vaccinations, but we hope the new
funding will make a big difference in addressing barriers and making
access easier. Please encourage older adults, people with
disabilities, and paid and unpaid caregivers to reach out to their local
disability and aging networks for assistance. Together, we can help
ensure equitable vaccine access for all of the people we support.
To learn more about the work ACL and the disability and
aging networks are doing to combat the pandemic, visit ACL's
COVID-19 website.
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