skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

New COVID Vaccine Grant Supports PA Orgs Tackling Hesitancy

play audio
Play

Monday, October 18, 2021   

PHILADELPHIA - Pennsylvania hit a milestone last week with 70% of adults fully vaccinated - but there's still work to be done. A new grant program aims to support community organizations to address vaccine hesitancy and other barriers.

The state Department of Community and Economic Development's $5 million COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Grant Program is open to any nonprofit or educational institution in the state and can go toward funding vaccine-related events, volunteer training, and technical support.

During a Friday event in North Philadelphia highlighting the grant, state Sen. Vincent Hughes - D-Philadelphia - cited ongoing vaccine disparities in some city neighborhoods as a reason for the program.

"If you go to the Overbrook section, 38% vaccine rate," said Hughes. "If you go to the Logan section, 38% vaccine rate. Those are largely Black and brown communities, and so we need to get the help necessary so they can drive the message and make sure that folks get the vaccine."

Organizations can receive grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. The deadline to apply is November 1.

Dr. Elana McDonald is the owner and medical director of Memphis Street Pediatrics in North Philadelphia, and has worked with state leaders on dispelling COVID vaccine myths.

She said trusted messengers with local organizations are vital to improving vaccine rates, especially in communities of color that have been mistreated by the medical system in the past.

"This is our home and it is important for us to get the message out to people who look like us," said McDonald. "We understand that there is a huge mistrust of the government of the medical establishment. But we're here to say that we are physicians, we are from your community. The vaccine is safe. The vaccine is effective."

Pennsylvania is seventh in the nation for first COVID shots administered.




get more stories like this via email
more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021