Author: Nara Hojvat-Gallin

ssociation of Community Health Centers' new podcast - Health Centers on the Front Lines.

To mark the 56th anniversary of the Medicaid and Medicare programs, Neighborhood Health, a non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that serves a predominately low-income and uninsured patient population in Northern Virginia welcomed Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Congressman Don Beyer,

Neighborhood Health has administered over 60,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine! 85% have been to people of color and 79% to uninsured patients.

We continue to partner with over 100 community and faith-based organizations to overcome barriers to vaccine access for the communities that have been most impacted by Covid.

"Trust is critical because there’s a lot of misinformation out there. Sometimes people don’t know what to think so when they see others around them getting vaccinated and they’re doing ok, when they see people who they trust advise them

“I’ve had some people who flatly refused [the vaccine], but I provided whatever information I could. I was not judgmental,” says Dr. Basim Khan, a primary care physician who leads Neighborhood Health, a federally qualified health center in Northern Virginia

Rob Wohl, a COVID-19 vaccine outreach worker in Northern Virginia, said his best day on the job was when he walked into a white-tablecloth Chinese restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia, in April to see whether he could sign up employees

During the pandemic, the group pivoted to focusing on weekly food distributions, rent support, mental health education and now, registering people for vaccine appointments through the community health center, Neighborhood Health.

One of the keys to getting people in the door to get vaccinated has been enlisting local faith leaders, Khan said. He has reached out to clergy in Fairfax and Arlington counties and marveled at their response. Some religious leaders

April is National Minority Health Month, and this year the national focus is on the disproportionate impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on racial and ethnic minorities. At Neighborhood Health — located in northern Virginia and serving residents of Alexandria,