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With the end of the national public health emergency approaching on May 11, 2023, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has committed to continuing to provide free vaccinations, tests, and treatments as long as supplies last. They will be prioritizing uninsured or underinsured people with these resources and services in order to promote equity and health access regardless of insurance status.

This case study of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System highlights effective practices for increasing vaccine uptake among vulnerable populations of veterans. This included targeting outreach to people based on race/ethnicity and the presence of risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease. The VA Puget Sound Health Care System used multiple modalities of communications and collaborated with community leaders in order to increase vaccine rates among people in underserved areas.

Johns Hopkins Health System and Baltimore community organizations collaborated to establish a bilingual COVID-19 hotline and implement free COVID-19 testing. When a vaccine became available, partnerships made within these efforts were leveraged and the coalition partnered with the state. This community-based approach was effective at expanding access to the COVID-19 vaccine among low-income Latino immigrants.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health Contact Tracing Program implemented a Community Outreach Specialist program to support COVID-19 contact tracing among vulnerable communities with high proportions of Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, or Haitian Creole-speaking residents.

The Public Health-Seattle and King County evaluated its case investigation and contract tracing program for effectiveness and found that contract tracing helped nearly three in four people surveyed stay in isolation. This demonstrates the value of contact tracing and case investigation as a public health tool for COVID-19 mitigation.

In 2022, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health piloted an innovative and barrier-reducing test-to-treat method. This approach used digital test results to submit a positive COVID-19 result and provided COVID-19 patients with Paxlovid. By adopting this rapid-response digital technology approach, public health practitioners were able to improve treatment access and reduce health disparities.

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene partnered with 45 businesses or faith-based organizations in the Northeast Bronx to increase COVID-19 and flu vaccine knowledge and uptake in predominantly Black and Hispanic areas. The program disseminated health information through trusted community leaders to address vaccine hesitancy. ZIP codes with higher involvement in the program showed greater increases in vaccination rates.

The El Bari Clinic launched a telemedicine initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce in-person visits and reduce transportation as a barrier to accessing health care. This cases study notes that the clinic offers patient-centered and culturally competent care to under and uninsured community members, which largely includes working-class ethnic minorities.

This article describes the rapid statewide COVID-19 vaccination strategy implemented by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The strategy focused on equitable distribution and reaching hard to reach populations, including racial and ethnic minority groups and rural communities.

This literature review outlines support for mobile health clinics as a successful and cost-effective method of healthcare delivery, especially towards underserved populations. Although financial and logistical challenges exist when implementing mobile health clinics, they ultimately help eliminate common barriers to health access. “Serving as a stepping-stone between the clinic and the community, MHCs are able to address both medical and social determinants of health, and have the potential to play an important role in our evolving healthcare system.”