Press Releases

LOWELL, MA – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, hailed the inclusion of the Lowell Community Health Center in President Joe Biden’s Community Health Center Vaccination Program, which provides additional vaccines – separate from state allocations – to ensure that traditionally underserved communities are not left behind during distribution.

“Lowell Community Health Center has been working around the clock on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 from day one. Since they started distributing vaccines, they’ve gone out of their way to meet the most vulnerable in our community where they are,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “Combined with the imminent relief they’ll receive from the American Rescue Plan, Lowell Community Health Center’s inclusion in President Biden’s Community Health Center Vaccination Program will bolster their ability to ensure no one who wants a vaccine in Lowell is left behind as we work to get shots into arms and defeat this virus.”

“We are honored to be one of the 12 MA CHCs to be selected for this round of the federal COVID vaccine program,” said Susan West Levine, CEO of Lowell Community Health Center. “Lowell is certainly among the communities disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We thank the Biden-Harris administration for acting to assure equitable vaccine distribution for low income and immigrant communities and communities of color. And we are grateful to Congresswoman Trahan for being the voice of our community.”

The Biden-Harris administration’s new vaccine program directly allocates COVID-19 vaccines to Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-supported health centers to ensure that our nation's underserved communities and those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 are equitably vaccinated. Lowell Community Health Center is part of an additional 700 health centers invited to participate in the next phase of the program and include those that serve high proportions of low income and minority patients, provide services to rural and frontier populations, operate Tribal/Urban Indian Health Programs, or utilize mobile vans to deliver services.

Prior to today, 250 health centers, including the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, were invited to this program, and include those that serve a large volume of the following disproportionately affected populations: individuals experiencing homelessness, public housing residents, migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, or patients with limited English proficiency. Trahan hailed the announcement of the Community Health Center Vaccination Program and stands prepared to support Lowell Community Health Center and other Massachusetts health centers participating in the federal program.

Trahan also voted last week to send the American Rescue Plan to President Biden’s desk where it was signed into law. The relief package, which has overwhelming public support and has been endorsed by Republican, Democratic, and Independent state and local officials, provides $27 billion to address health disparities and protect vulnerable populations for the duration of the pandemic. That includes $7.6 billion in funding to further support COVID-19 response efforts at community health centers, including Lowell Community Health Center.

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