City launching health literacy program
$4M grant being used to provide education on COVID-19
San Antonio hopes to reach residents with facts about COVID-19 through Health Confianza, a program funded with a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Health Confianza will provide COVID-19 education in minority and underserved communities in San Antonio and Bexar County. San Antonio and Dallas County are the only two governments in Texas that received a portion of the $250 million in federal funding set aside for the project.
“This project’s goal is not to point a finger and say, ‘You need to get vaccinated’ or ‘You need to wear a mask,’ ” said Len Treviño, program manager for the COVID-19 Community Response and Equity Coalition.
“The goal of the project is to give you as much information that you would need as an individual or groups in the community and empower them with that information so that they can make a better decision.”
The two-year initiative runs through June 2023, but Treviño hopes another organization will take it over at that point or more resources are found so the project can continue.
Officials have identified 22 “priority ZIP codes” to target based in part on lower vaccination rates and higher COVID-19 infection rates, Treviño said.
He added that most of the ZIP codes are in the East and West sides of town, with some spreading into the South Side and others in central San Antonio. There is some flexibility, though, and Treviño said if local officials learn about other ZIP codes that need attention, they can be included.
Metro Health is overseeing
Health Confianza in partnership with UT Health San Antonio and UTSA’S College for Health, Community and Policy. Planning for the project started over the summer.
One of UTSA’S major roles was determining what areas to focus on in San Antonio, Treviño said. Then, UT Health Science Center made a strategic plan to address the issue of health literacy by determining how to educate individuals and health care providers. Health literacy is a person’s ability to find and use information and services that help them make health care decisions.
In a news release, Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel L. Levine said the funding and the local government partnerships will “help our national efforts to continue to tackle health disparities surrounding COVID-19 vaccination, testing, and treatment.”
Treviño said a media campaign and a logo contest will be some of the first initiatives the public may notice next year. He added that efforts will be made to give resources to individuals and educate health care providers on bringing health literacy to the forefront in their day-to-day operations.
“This project provides a unique opportunity to share lessons learned from our ongoing COVID-19 response efforts on the ground,” Metro Health Director Claude A. Jacob said in the city’s release. “The Community Response and Equity Coalition hopes to rebuild and strengthen trust in our communities through the work with our health organizations and instill confidence within our community members.”