The Wellness Coalition has multiple programs focused on combating the COVID-19 pandemic through education and resources. All of our programs respond to COVID-19 in different ways but work together for the greater goal of ending COVID-19.

Educating the Community to Fight COVID-19

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are engaged in fighting the pandemic and increasing equity in communities hardest hit by COVID-19. Their goal is to serve low to moderate-income residents in the city of Montgomery. This is done by canvassing, going door to door, and speaking directly to residents, or by leaving educational material.

CHWs have been shown to improve health literacy, reduce costs to the healthcare system, and lower the burden of illness among people with chronic diseases by helping people improve their ability to manage their conditions. CHWs are focused on:

  • Providing health education and linkages to community resources to reduce the spread of COVID-19
  • Supporting preventative care and isolation for individuals at high risk of COVID-19 complications
  • Supporting isolation and quarantine for those with COVID-19 or COVID-19-like symptoms

Creating Greater Access to Vaccines

We are also working to educate African Americans in Montgomery, Macon, and Lowndes counties. We know that African Americans have been exploited for medical experiments in the past, causing distrust in the treatment and prevention of illnesses. We present the importance of the COVID-19 vaccines and work to identify and dispel myths about the vaccines. We are also:

  • Coordinating vaccination clinics for better accessibility for the community.
  • Partnering with pharmacies and organizations like churches to host the clinics and provide wellness information to those who come out to the clinics.
  • Spreading information through advertisements to encourage vaccination.
  • Looking for volunteers to share their COVID-19 survival stories.
  • Reaching out to pillars in the community to help promote vaccination facts.
  • Hosting discussion groups in each county and distributing a survey to find out why people have COVID-19 vaccine concerns.

Addressing Vaccination Disparities

One of our programs, the Health Equity Alliance seeks to address the problem of COVID-19 vaccination disparities in the Black Belt counties of Macon, Montgomery, and Lowndes with a focus on the African American population.

The Health Equity program is currently working in partnership with key members from different organizations in these counties to build an alliance. Our alliance team will develop a joint plan to decrease vaccine inequities in these three counties.

Throughout the implementation of our program, we will appoint trusted “Community Well-Being Ambassadors” to venture out into the communities and provide education and outreach to address the issues and challenges surrounding vaccinations rates.

Working Together to Stop the Spread

The Wellness Coalition’s COVID-19 programs address issues in African American communities through education, linking people with resources,
promoting vaccinations clinics, and more. Together, these programs will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 within both African American communities and the River Region.

View COVID-19 resources here.