CHICAGO (WAND) - A new COVID-19 program announced by Gov. JB Pritzker will look to reduce COVID-19 vaccination disparities.
The Vaccine Community Connectors pilot initiative is a joint effort between the governor and the Illinois Department of Public Health. It leverages health plans to reduce disparities, and has a focus on older adults at age 65 and older in the most vulnerable Illinois communities.
The program is sponsored by America's Health Insurance Program (AHIP) and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) and is a collaboration between health plans and the state "to help provide vaccine outreach, scheduling and transportation for the state's most vulnerable residents," according to a press release from the governor's office.
“Prioritizing equity has been a critical component in every phase of the state's vaccine administration plan. In particular, we have intentionally set aside allocations of vaccine for providers in communities with a high social vulnerability index and have engaged with community partners to provide vaccinations in a way that is accessible by local communities,” said Pritzker. “Through this public-private partnership, the first of its kind in the nation, we will be able to better coordinate resources and provider more efficient vaccine access for our seniors.”
Participating health plans, which are supported by AHIP, BCBSA, the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans (IAMHP) and the Illinois Life and Health Insurance Council (ILHIC), will partner in the below ways, per the governor's office:
- Identify seniors who live in vulnerable communities who are members of participating plans who have not yet been vaccinated
- Work with the state and community partners to educate seniors on the safety, efficacy, and value of the vaccine
- Leverage health plan care coordinators to contact those individuals to facilitate appointment scheduling and answer questions
- Coordinate services to overcome barriers that may stand between those individuals and getting vaccinated, including transportation
- Work with state leaders to deliver vaccines to underserved communities
- Track and report on progress on a deidentified aggregate basis
Illinois, with support from vaccine providers, will partner in the below ways:
- Reserve weekly appointment slots at mass vaccination sites for the plans to schedule vulnerable seniors
- Provide health plans with links into the state's mass vaccination site scheduling systems to schedule members
- Provide weekly access to data / analytics to support plan outreach and identify target ZIP codes where seniors have not been vaccinated
- As available, respond to requests for state mobile teams
“Throughout the pandemic, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services has worked with our managed care health plans to ensure Medicaid customers across all communities in Illinois could access testing, treatment and ultimately, vaccines, as well as new and innovative ways to improve access to health care and critical related services,” said Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Theresa Eagleson. “The Vaccine Community Connectors initiative will advance those efforts and extend an opportunity to some of the state’s most vulnerable citizens to receive protection from COVID-19.”
