Federal grant will allow City of Chattanooga to educate citizens on COVID-19 vaccinations

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The City of Chattanooga received a Health and Human Services (HHS) grant. They made the announcement Friday morning.

According to a press release, the money will help "identify and implement best practices for improving health literacy to enhance COVID-19 vaccination and other mitigation practices among underserved populations."

Here's the press release from the City of Chattanooga:

Mayor Tim Kelly and members of his staff will gather on the steps of City Hall to announce plans to leverage the HHS Advancing Health Literacy Grant at 9:30 a.m. on July 23, 2021.

Dr. Mary Lambert, Director of Community Health for the City of Chattanooga, will speak to the impact this grant will have for the community and the city’s community-based healthcare organizations. The grant is part of a $250 million two-year federal initiative to identify and implement best practices for improving health literacy to enhance COVID-19 vaccination and other mitigation practices among underserved populations.

The funds will be overseen by the Office of Community Health recently established by Mayor Kelly. While the grant will benefit the entire city, services will primarily target zip codes with the highest social vulnerability index.

Mayor Kelly and Dr. Lambert will recognize Former Councilman Russell Gilbert and Councilwoman Carol Berz for their early support for the grant as well as U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) and Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty for their support at the federal level.