February 16, 2021
Portland, OR— OCHIN applauds the Biden Administration for prioritizing health equity in a national COVID-19 response by ensuring that vaccines are provided to the nation’s federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). This is a crucial step toward ensuring that people of color, who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, are not left behind in the race to achieve mass vaccination.
“Every person should have fair and equitable access to a COVID-19 vaccine through a trusted health care provider,” said Abby Sears, CEO at OCHIN. “Community health centers are a lifeline in underserved communities. They have the tools and have built the trust to vaccinate those who may be harder to reach, but who stand to benefit most.”
OCHIN supports more than 130 health centers, including 40 of largest urban health centers in the country that serve over 2,000 patients over age 65. Providers in the OCHIN network have already distributed more than 52,000 COVID shots according to state guidelines and despite limited vaccine availability. The new vaccine allocations will provide health centers with critical supply and the assurance needed to effectively scale their vaccination efforts by using OCHIN Epic EHR to conduct timely patient outreach as more doses become available.
About OCHIN
OCHIN is a driving force for health equity. A national nonprofit health IT organization with two decades of experience transforming health care delivery, OCHIN provides leading-edge technology, data analytics, research, and support services to more than 500 community health care sites, reaching nearly 6 million patients. We partner, learn, innovate, and advocate to close gaps in health care that are systemic, avoidable, and unjust, so everyone has a fair opportunity to achieve their full health potential. Learn more at www.ochin.org.
