JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (The video above is from a report in February of 2021)
The City of Jacksonville has been chosen to receive a $3.2 million federal grant to help promote health literacy, announced U.S. Rep. Al Lawson via email Tuesday.
Lawson says the grant is through the Office of Public Health and Science/Office of Minority Health, an office within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The grant will help improve the health of minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities.
Through the program, the City of Jacksonville will increase access to culturally appropriate health information by activating health workers to connect directly with vulnerable populations.
“COVID-19 remains a dire threat to our health and public safety,” Rep. Lawson said. “The pandemic exposed inequities in our health care system, and educating the public is the best path forward to saving countless lives. Through this investment, we will bridge the divide in health resources across the Jacksonville community.”
Health Zone 1 is located in Jacksonville’s urban core, and Lawson says it experiences more acute levels of social vulnerability than other areas of the city.
He says protective resources, including access to information about COVID-19, are scarce.
The Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida will lead the project and collaborate with local health departments and minority-serving institutions to implement the health literacy strategies.
Partners include Edward Waters University, Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida, UF Health Jacksonville, Population Health Consortium and Duval Safety Net Collaborative.
The Grant Budget period is July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2023.