Healthcare Ready Benefits Thousands of Lives during COVID-19
See our Mid-Year 2021 Impact Report
COVID cases are again on the rise and vaccine adherence is waning. More contagious disease variants are emergent and spreading during what is ramping up to be record-breaking wildfire and hurricane seasons. It is a challenging, but appropriate, time to assess our current efforts to further enhance the resiliency of our healthcare system and supporting supply chains. What we’re seeing is consistent progress.
We’re building out additional capacity, laying the groundwork for timely disaster and disease outbreak response, and continuing to educate and inform communities to increase preparedness. We’re working to educate key stakeholders and audiences to ensure everyone knows the importance of getting immunized, the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, and the critical window that exists to seek out life-saving antibody treatments if you test positive for COVID-19. As ever, we are grateful for our trusted public and private partnerships. These valued collaborators are robust force multipliers as evidenced by the impacts highlighted here:
1. LEADING WITH OUR EQUITY FRAMEWORK
We’re self-evaluating and renewing our focus on equitable treatment of all humans in the face of the next crisis. To better inform various sectors involved in emergency response, we’re posting our new equity framework that serves as the underpinning for all that we do. It will be immediately reflected in more than 10 major projects currently underway at Healthcare Ready and available for public use on our website.
2. CREATING CRITICAL RESOURCES
We’re making available critical resources to educate patients and providers about the free monoclonal antibody treatments (mAbs) that reduce the relative risk of hospitalizations or death by 70%.
3. BRINGING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER
We’re participating in more than 50 public events since January, including virtual townhall meetings, webinars, and interviews to amplify awareness of vaccine efficacy and mAbs treatment.These resources helped them communicate with people who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and natural disasters. Resources included FAQs, toolkits, tip sheets, educational videos, infographics and social media messaging so that religious and community leaders, educators and local officials could reach out to better inform and protect these vulnerable populations.
4. BUILDING CAPACITY
We’re sharing our expertise on capacity building for community-based organizations and conducting more than 16 workshops, trainings and exercises for patient groups and local and regional partners to build resilient communities in the face of the virus’ resurgence and natural disasters.
5. ADDRESSING VACCINE HESITANCY
We’re standing up a VaxxChat series supported by the Medtronic Foundation and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy to address vaccine hesitancy and reach patients and providers.We hosted dozens of virtual private sector convenings, workshops, webinars and trainings to help local communities and emergency management cope with and react to COVID-19. This included panel-style discussions with public health officials, pharmacists, care providers, and pharmaceutical supply chain leaders that were open and available to the public.
6. CREATING PARTNERSHIPS
We’re partnering with the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) to fight COVID-19 and they’re highlighting our new series on vaccine education and mental health/resiliency with their influential members and beyond.
7. COMBATTING INEQUITY
We’re sharing the findings from our year-long study supported by the Walmart Foundation and calling out the disparities communities of color and low-income communities are facing and amplifying how COVID-19 has hit these communities harder. They span many health and safety issues including proximity to healthcare resources, essential worker status and protections, and access to trusted and accurate information.
8. CREATING INSIGHTS THROUGH RESEARCH
We’re elaborating on the results of our 6th annual poll on the disaster preparedness concerns, behaviors, and perspectives of US adults by using the findings to enlighten our programs and research and inform other thought leaders. Only 40% of Americans have an emergency plan in place even though 65% think it is likely that a major disaster will impact them or their family within the next 5 years.
9. STRENGTHENING PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
We’re leveraging our partnership between public and private sectors to respond to COVID-19 and better prepare the communities that will be hardest hit and most impacted when the next disaster strikes.
10. IMPROVING PUBLIC HEALTH EQUITY
We’re looking forward to continuing to add to our body of work to improve public health equity and mitigate COVID-19 and are grateful for incredible support recently announced by the MacArthur Foundation.
11. STRENGTHENING THE SUPPLY CHAIN
We’re focusing on identifying pharmaceutical supply chain impacts and planning to ensure the system can withstand the strains caused by the pandemic and competing natural disasters.
12. WORKING WITH OUR PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS
We’re building and maintaining partnerships that allow for the private sector to readily engage in preparation, response, and recovery efforts to protect patients.
Thank you for your engagement with Healthcare Ready. We welcome your support and encourage you to learn more about our COVID-19 resources to help inform communities and assist with the nation’s pandemic response. Please click here to keep up to date and subscribe to our newsletter. We look forward to hearing from you! Learn more about Healthcare Ready’s role in securing our healthcare supply chain to protect patients across the nation.
