CCI selected for Biden-Harris Administration’s Health Center Covid-19 Vaccination Program

CCI Health & Wellness Services has become the first health center in the state of Maryland selected to participate in the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccination Program. The program seeks to ensure equity in COVID-19 vaccine distribution. It is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to ramp up the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to some of the country’s hardest-hit populations.

The vaccination program’s initial phase targeted 250 health centers across the country and complemented existing local efforts to vaccinate against COVID-19 equitably. Health centers selected for the first phase were selected because they serve a large volume of disproportionately affected populations. The effort targets individuals experiencing homelessness or living in public housing and migrant or seasonal agricultural workers, or patients with limited English proficiency.

“We fully embrace our responsibility to care for the households within our service area, especially those who face added obstacles to stay healthy. This program empowers us to continue our efforts to end healthcare disparities and bolster health equity,” said Sonya Bruton, Psy.D., MPA, Chief Executive Officer and President. “Our greatest weapon in primary care is prevention, and it has helped us limit the devastation experienced by the populations we serve most. The Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program supports our efforts to protect and prevent negative outcomes and provide much-needed peace of mind for our patients.”

We fully embrace our responsibility to care for the households within our service area, especially those who face added obstacles to stay healthy. This program empowers us to continue our efforts to end healthcare disparities and bolster health equity.

Dr. Sonya Bruton CEO of CCI Health & Wellness Services

CCI Health & Wellness Services began 2021 by encouraging its staff to lead the way on the COVID-19 vaccine front. With the rampant misinformation about the vaccine and skepticism about how quickly it was developed, CCI staff were keenly aware that they needed to show that they too were rolling up their sleeves to get their vaccines. After a long 2020, some staff found themselves overcome with a sense of relief and gratitude to be able to have some protection against the virus.

Not long after staff began receiving their vaccines, CCI received its first allotment of vaccines for patients. On January 19th, the first CCI patient was vaccinated against COVID-19. Berta, 82 years young, arrived excited and grateful. She’s been a patient for nearly three decades and reminisced about her favorite CCI providers while she waited in the observation area.

CCI has continued to steadily vaccinate its patients against COVID-19 and the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program offered the organization more opportunities to make a bigger impact in the fight against the virus. CCI completed a mass vaccination of established patients on April 11th, offering the second dose of the Moderna vaccine to 800 individuals over eight hours. As of April, CCI has vaccinated a total of 4,114 individuals against COVID-19.