COVID-19 Resource Hub

Last Updated: 10/22/2021

AAPCHO is continuously monitoring (COVID-19) alerts and information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and other health agencies across the United States and its territories.

This page will be updated frequently with tailored resources for community health centers covering the COVID-19 vaccines, multilingual and culturally appropriate materials for Asian American (AA), Native Hawaiian (NH), and Pacific Islander (PI) communities, resources to address anti-Asian racism, public health considerations, and other public health considerations..

If you have questions, would you like to contribute resources to this page, and/or require technical assistance, please email preparedness@aapcho.org.

Helpful Links

• AAPCHO’s COVID-19 Response
• COVID-19 Vaccine Resources
• Telehealth Resources

Recent Updates and Highlights

• Have questions about the recent updates and guidances to the booster shots? Find answers in our COVID-19 Vaccine section.
• CDC has released a Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination Operational Planning Guide.
• Asian Immigrant Experiences with Racism, Immigration-related Fears, and the COVID-19 Pandemic – Kaiser Family Foundation hosted webinar featuring AAPCHO Members Asian Health Services and International Community Health Services and AAPCHO’s Director of Policy and Advocacy, Adam Carbullido
• OSHA has published the COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard in June 2021.
• COVID-19 in Hawaiʻi: Addressing Health Equity in Diverse Populations Report by the Hawai’i State Department of Health, Hawai’i COVID-19 Response Recovery Resilience Team, and the University of Hawai’i, Manoa.
• Asian American COVID-19 Experience Report by NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH)

AAPCHO recognizes that navigating information on the COVID-19 Vaccine is essential for Community Health Centers. The role of Community Health Centers in the deployment of vaccines is essential at numerous levels.

Recent News and Updates to the COVID-19 Vaccines:

• Booster shots for the Pfizer vaccine, also known as Comirnaty, has been approved by the FDA for some individuals. Read here for more information.
• FDA has also approved Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) as a booster shot and approved the mixed use of vaccines as boosters. Read more.
• HRSA has created a COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Planning Checklist for health centers.
• FDA offers fact sheets on the Moderna Vaccine,  and Pfizer-BioNTech, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) including translations in many languages.

In-Language COVID-19 Vaccine Resources:

• The NCR-RIM’s Get the Facts Campaign has infographics, videos, flyers, and more available in over 30 languages.
• State of Hawaii’s COVID-19 Multilingual Resources including vaccine screening questions in numerous AA, NH, and PI languages. (Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Chuukese, Hawaiian, Ilocano, Japanese, Korean, Kosraean, Lao, Marshallese, Pohnpeian, Samoan, Thai, Tagalog, Tongan, Vietnamese, and Yapese)
• COVID-19 Resources in Vietnamese provided by PIVOT: Viet Fact Check and VietCOVID.org.
• AARP has published a Vaccination Toolkit and has translated it in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Hindi.
• The “Vaccines Explained” Series by The World Health Organization provides engaging information on the COVID-19 vaccine including development, clinical trials, and distribution. Translations available.

Knowledge and Data to Prepare for the Vaccine:

• Woven with Elders: Pacific Islander Vaccine Toolkit provides beautiful graphics, easy-to-read fact sheets, and responses to frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19 vaccinations in order to protect Pacific Islander communities, especially treasured elders.
• Need Community Health Worker Resources? Visit NACHW’s Community Health Worker Resource Center Database
• American COVID-19 Vaccine Poll surveyed over 12,000 Americans to explore effective messaging for COVID-19 vaccination.
• Helpful Vaccine Communications Tips by de Beaumont developed from their “Language of Vaccine Acceptance” poll conducted in December 2020.
• Answers to Common Questions about Herd Immunity and Vaccination by Georgetown University’s School of Nursing and Health Studies.
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) have created toolkits to help providers prepare for being an immunization site and understanding Medicaid coverage for the COVID-19 Vaccine.
• NACHC has compiled useful resources to help health centers address COVID-19 vaccine concerns from patients and staff.
• The Kaiser Family Foundation provides state-by-state analysis of vaccine plans and distribution with frequent updates. For reference, here is KFF’s first analysis of state vaccination plans in November 2020.

From the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• SARS-CoV-2 Variant Classifications and Definitions from the CDC
• Choosing Safer Activities before and after getting vaccinated (CDC)
• COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review – Get weekly updates on vaccinations, infections, variants, and more.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Toolkit for Community-Based Organizations – CDC offers many resources for use across your health center’s efforts to reach your patients including plain-language fact sheets available in Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Tagalog, and Korean.
• 10 Things Healthcare Workers Should Know about the COVID-19 Vaccine – The CDC compiled key vaccine information specifically relevant to Healthcare Workers including ACIP recommendations.
• COVID-19 Vaccination Communication Toolkit For Medical Centers, Clinics, and Clinicians to educate healthcare teams and other staff.
• Trainings: COVID-19 Vaccine Training Modules include immunization best practices and what healthcare workers need to know about the Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Janssen vaccines. CMEs/CNEs/CPEs available. Updated in September 2021.

Community Health Center Vaccine Responses

• “Analysis by researchers from the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative estimates that nearly half of all patients served by community health centers qualify for phase one COVID-19 immunizations, following health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities and other essential workers, under priority guidelines established by the CDC.”
• Community health centers fulfill niche in vaccination effort (Lowell Sun)
• Vaccination Hesitation: Community Health Centers Get Creative to Engage the Community (Hawaii Public Radio)
• How is Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center in rural North Carolina addressing vaccine concerns in their patients and community? (Rural Health Info Hub)

Join the We Can Do This national campaign to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence including toolkits in multiple languages.

COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Toolkit for Community-Based Organizations – CDC offers plain-language fact sheets available in Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Tagalog, and Korean.

Visit the Kaiser Family Foundation COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor Dashboard.

The Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team is a national group of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) researchers, health experts, community leaders and advocates who have come together to inform and support families and communities about COVID-19. Resources available here »

• NHPI COVID-19 Toolkit – In partnership with the Southern California Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team, the Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office has released the Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander COVID-19 Community Toolkit, a rich resource that includes infographics and public service announcements (PSAs) in Chamorro, Hawaiian, Marshallese, Samoan, and Tongan languages.

The Asian American and Pacific Islander Emergency Response Network (ERN) is a collaboration among the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans and other non-profit groups with the goal of laying the foundation for a more unified AA, NH, and PI movement. Find more information » 

• TranslateCovid.org, initiated by UCLA’s Institute of American Cultures, Asian American Studies Center, and Fielding School of Public Health, includes multiple resources translated to various AA & NHPI languages.
•  The National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) at the University of Minnesota has compiled translated materials from across the country including recent additions regarding COVID-19.
• Pacific Islander Community Association of Washington (PICAWA) has created Pasifika Narratives, a series of community driven videos honoring culture, resiliency, and providing COVID-19 information.
• The CDC has collected COVID-19 educational resources for communication with migrants, refugees, and other Limited-English Proficient populations including print resources and webpages in numerous AA, NH, and PI languages. Search all CDC translated materials by language.
• COVID-19 Fact Check – UCSF School of Medicine developed a list of facts and myths that are currently available in English and Vietnamese. Additional languages, including Chinese Korean, and Punjabi, will be available soon.
• COVID-19 Community Guides – Equity Labs developed COVID-19 community guides, which are available in English and South Asian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Urdu, Nepali, Burmese, Bengali, and Marathi.
• AA and NHPI In-Language Materials Project – The Asian & Pacific Islander Health Forum crowd-sourced a list of in-language materials related to COVID-19.
• Various In-Language Materials List – Another crowd-sourced list of in-language educational materials on COVID-19 in various languages.
• In-language Media Materials and Resources – The County of Los Angeles Public Health’s resource hub for toolkits, infographics, and additional information on Coronavirus. Resources are available in Chinese (traditional and simplified), Korean, Tagalog, Cambodian, Japanese, Vietnamese, and more.
• Toolkit of Coronavirus Resources – The Government of the District of Columbia developed Stop the Spread of Germs flyers (available in English and multiple languages) and Stop Stigma posters (available in English, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese).
• A Round-Up of Multilingual Resources on COVID-19 – Switchboard‘s blog post contains fact sheets, posters, multimedia resources, and links to live updates in multiple languages that can be shared with clients and the general public about COVID-19, its symptoms, and how to prevent it. It also includes multilingual resources about handwashing.
• Preventing the Spread of Germs in NHPI Languages – Multnomah County developed this webpage to offer in-language NHPI translations for Palauan, Pohnpeian, Chuukese, Tongan, and Kosraean. Check out their video library of more than 30 translated messages on how to stop the spread of COVID-19.
• Marshallese COVID-19 Task Force – Dr. Sheldon Riklon and the Marshallese COVID-19 Task Force curated in-language Marshallese resources.
• Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC) – COVID-19 Rapid Response Resources – SEARAC curated resources available in Cambodian/Khmer, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese.
• Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy & Leadership (APPEAL)‘s COVID-19 and Tobacco Use fact sheet – The fact sheet is available in Chinese, Korean, and Tagalog.

Visit the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network or call Multilingual helpline: (877) 904-5097

Federal Resources for Health Centers

• Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Resources for Health Centers – The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is working to keep health centers and Health Center Program partners updated on the latest information regarding COVID-19. All COVID-19 information for health centers will appear on this page and resources will be updated as they become available.
  • Health Center Program COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  • Health Center Survey Data for COVID-19:  Each health center receives an electronic, easy-to-use survey twice a week via email, on Monday and Thursday afternoons. HRSA has updated data and charts on health center’s COVID-19 impact including vaccination progress.
  • Health Center Program Look-Alike Survey Data for COVID-19
• HRSA’s Health Center COVID-19 Information Collection: Each health center will receive an electronic, easy-to-use survey twice a week via email, on Monday and Thursday afternoons. HRSA will use the information collected to assess health centers’ needs throughout the COVID-19 response.
• The CDC’s COVID-19 Main Page – Get all official updates from the CDC.
• Healthcare Workers: Information on COVID-19
• CMS Current Emergencies Page – Resources include waiver and flexibility information, and guidance on the following topic areas: clinical and technical, billing and coding, coverage, provider enrollment, Medicaid and CHIP, and more.

Financial Support

• COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund -Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) will cover the costs of administering COVID-19 vaccines to patients whose health insurance doesn’t cover vaccine administration fees, or does but typically has patient cost-sharing.
• CARES Act Provider Relief Fund – The Provider Relief Funds supports American families, workers, and the heroic healthcare providers in the battle against the COVID-19 outbreak. HHS is distributing $100 billion to hospitals and healthcare providers on the front lines of the coronavirus response. (Updated September 2021)
• Health Centers’ Experiences with Payroll Protection Loans During COVID-19 – NACHC and Capital Link released findings from a national assessment on experiences applying for and receiving the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans as an infographic.
• Financial Impact Fact Sheet for Health Centers – NACHC developed a fact sheet to outline the negative impact COVID-19 has on employment, revenue, and health center visits.
• Capital Link has researched the Financial Impact of COVID-19 on FQHCs Nationally and developed an employment and revenue loss analysis here.

Support to Address Workforce Burnout

• COVID-19 for the Health Center Workforce – The Weitzman Institute and Association of Clinicians for the Underserved has curated a list of resources for health center staff, including those on crisis counseling and self-care, managing workflows, clinician burnout, and more.
• Wellbeing for Refugee Service Providers during COVID-19: Am I Ok?
• 59 Mental Health Resource for Health Care Providers – Nursing License Map curated mental health resource for health care professionals and students
• Bringing self-care to CHWs – A curriculum by  the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants
  

Sample Protocols for Health Centers

• Sample Patient Under Investigation (PUI) Incident Protocol for COVID-19 – provided by AAPCHO Member, Asian Health Services
• Sample Organizational Planning Checklist for COVID-19
• Sample Provider Protocol for COVID-19 – provided by AAPCHO Member, Asian Health Services
• NACHC COVID-19: Sample Drive Thru Procedures NACHC Resource Packet

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guidance for Health Centers

• Healthcare Supply of Personal Protective Equipment
• Healthcare Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations from the CDC – Updated in Response to COVID-19 Vaccination

Additional Resources

• Immigrant-Serving Organizations’ Perspectives on the COVID-19 Crisis – The Urban Institute and Protecting Immigrant Families, Advancing Our Future campaign created a brief to share the perspectives of immigrant-serving organizations on the effects on immigrant communities while providing recommendations for federal, state, and local responses.
• COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal (launched April 27, 2020) – As part of the FFCRA and CARES Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will provide claims reimbursement to health care providers generally at Medicare rates for testing uninsured individuals for COVID-19 and treating uninsured individuals with a COVID-19 diagnosis.
• Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) – CDC’s COCA prepares clinicians to respond to emerging health threats and public health emergencies by communicating relevant, timely information related to disease outbreaks, disasters, terrorism events, and other health alerts.
• FAQs for Health Care Providers for Medicare Payment – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released FAQs on Medicare payment for laboratory tests and other services related to COVID-19. Updated July 2021

AAPCHO encourages all health centers to visit the Health Center Resource Clearinghouse to access compiled resources on COVID-19 from 20 NationalCooperative Agreement organizations and partners.

#COVID19CHC: Community Health Centers Connecting with Patients during COVID-19: Catch the latest episode of AAPCHO’s #COVID19CHC Stories series   to shed a light on the critical role of CHCs to address the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode, Sheryl Yoshimura, RD of Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services in Honolulu shares how she and her team provide personable care while addressing food and housing insecurity during this unprecedented time.

AANHPI Project Firstline

We have partnered with the CDC’s Project Firstline and APIAHF to launch the AANHPI Project Firstline initiative to prepare frontline healthcare workers & the public health workforce to protect themselves, their patients, and communities from infectious disease threats including COVID-19.

AAPCHO acknowledges the increasing levels of stigma, racism, and xenophobia toward AA and NHPI communities as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. We encourage community health center providers, community-based organizations, educators, and the general public to combat this stigma by addressing misinformation and practicing cultural humility.

• Asian Immigrant Experiences with Racism, Immigration-related Fears, and the COVID-19 Pandemic – Kaiser Family Foundation hosted webinar featuring AAPCHO Members Asian Health Services and International Community Health Services and AAPCHO’s Director of Policy and Advocacy, Adam Carbullido.
• Research Report & Resources for Disentangling Anti-Asian Violence from the AAPI COVID-19 Project
• CDC’s Message on Stigma Related to COVID-19– The CDC states that diseases can make anyone sick regardless of their race or ethnicity. People of Asian descent, including Chinese Americans, are not more likely to get COVID-19 than any other American. Help stop fear by letting people know that being of Asian descent does not increase the chance of getting or spreading COVID-19. Share these facts.
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Civil Rights Organizations on the Coronavirus: “Not a Green Light to Target Asian Americans and Asian immigrants with Racism and Hate” – National Council of Asian Pacific Americans’ (NCAPA) response to incidents of Anti-Asian racism due to the coronavirus and call to action on removing misinformation.
• Blame and Discrimination Attached to 2019-nCoV – John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Health Security released an FAQ for U.S. Elected Leaders and Health Officials on social stigma attached to Coronavirus.
• Bystander Intervention – The American Friends Service Committee provides do’s and don’ts when one witnesses public instances of racist or oppressive interpersonal violence and harassment.
• Speaking Up Against Racism Around the New Coronavirus – Teaching Tolerance provides historical context on why AA and NHPI communities are targeted, resources on responding to hate and bias in educational settings, and more.
• Guidance for Adults: How to Talk to Asian American Youth About Racism – Apex for Youth developed a guide on navigating conversations around racism with young people.
• King County provides anti-stigma resources, including two posters: “Viruses Don’t Discriminate and Neither Should We” and “Coronavirus and Stigma“

Reporting Incidents of Hate

• Stand Against Hatred – Asian Americans Advancing Justice is documenting hate incidents from across the United States to better educate the public and to empower and advocate for those affected by hate crimes.
• Stop AAPI Hate – Report hate incidents with in-language report forms including Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Korean, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Khmer, Punjabi, Tagalog, Hmong and others.
• Report Instances of Hate-Related Incidents – The Center of Public Integrity is investigating COVID-19-related hate incidents. Like the other reporting sites, information will not be published without your consent.
• #WashTheHate Campaign – Join the social media campaign, created by Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council and OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates, to raise awareness of discrimination and violence against the Asian Pacific American community.

Toolkits

• COVID-19 Toolkit on Response to Racism and Xenophobia – The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), in collaboration with AAPCHO, developed a toolkit on responding to racism and xenophobia related to COVID-19.

Cultural humility is a respectful approach toward individuals of other cultures that continuously pushes one to challenge cultural biases (CHCS, 2017).

• National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards – The Office of Minority Health’s Think Cultural Health website features information, continuing education opportunities, resources, and more for health and health care professionals to learn about culturally and linguistically appropriate services, or CLAS.
• Cultural Humility is Critical to Health Equity – The American Academy of Family Physician states why it’s important for family physicians to practice cultural humility in patient-centered care.
• “Practicing Cultural Humility when Serving Immigrant and Refugee Communities” by Lea Ann Miyagawa, MN, RN

Healthy Equity Resources

• CDC’s COVID-19 Health Equity Strategy
• Addressing Health Inequities in the Era of COVID-19 – Families USA created an infographic to outline the health outcomes and inequities rooted in systemic and unjust social and economic policies.
• The COVID Racial Data Tracker –  The COVID Tracking Project and the Antiracist Research & Policy Center developed a racial data tracker to document the varying disparity of COVID across communities by collecting, publishing, and analyzing racial data on the pandemic from across the United States.
• The Impact of COVID-19 on social determinants of health – Healthify‘s blog outlines how SDoHS have been impacted.
• Fact Sheet: President Biden Announces New Actions to Deliver Masks to Communities Hit Hard by the Pandemic
• Recording: Conversations on COVID-19: Impacts on Communities of Color – The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine shared conversations with experts to discuss the latest in information and research on health equity.
• Recording: The Impact of COVID-19 on the LGBTQ+ Community – Check out the free and on-demand webinar from the National Coalition for LGBT Health (March 26, 2020).

Infection Control Resources

• CDC’s Improving the Fit and Filtration of Masks Guidelines for community members
• Handwashing Resources – Handwashing is still an essential strategy to prevent Coronavirus spread. Check out CDC’s training and education materials on handwashing.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency resources to reduce the spread of COVID-19 including information on airborne spread and a list of approved disinfectants.
• Hepatitis B and COVID-19 Updates – The Hepatitis B Foundation (HBF) developed a resource hub for managing hepatitis B infection amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Behavioral and Emotional Health Resources

• Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health -Check out SAMHSA’s fact sheet on “Tips For Social Distancing, Quarantine, And Isolation During An Infectious Disease Outbreak”
• Coping with Stress during the 2019-nCoV Outbreak – The World Health Organization’s advice to cope with the stress associated with Coronavirus. Advice is also available to help children cope with stress.

Webinar Sources

• Upcoming Webinars and Resources – The Health Center Resource Clearinghouse developed this page with COVID-19 webinar opportunities and resources tailored for health centers.

• COVID-19 Vaccine Webinar for Community Based Organizations – The CDC Foundation provided vaccine information, local challenges, and distribution plans.
• Providing Safe Care to COVID-19 Patients in Various Settings – This recorded webinar and Q&A session by the American Hospital Association Center for Health Innovation, through CDC’s Project Firstline, provides current insight on safe care practices for healthcare workers including outpatient centers (November 20, 2020).
• CDC’s Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) has developed numerous emergency response webinars and calls regarding COVID-19 to help clinicians with care.
• COVID-19 digital events and trainings – The American Dental Association produces helpful trainings for including 19 Ways to Survive the Pandemic (March 26, 2020).

•  Community health centers have to get creative to care for children during the pandemic’s school closures, features Family Health Center of Worcester (December 4, 2020)

Learn more about AAPCHO Membership here and their COVID-19 stories.