NCRN: The Path Forward
In the early stages of the pandemic, it was clear that COVID-19 posed a disproportionate burden on racial and ethnic minoritized communities across the nation. As public health officials grappled with messaging about risk and prevention strategies, misinformation and confusion swelled.
To mitigate this misinformation, and in the absence of a singular national health care system, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health partnered with the Morehouse School of Medicine in July 2020 to launch a 3-year, $40 million effort: the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network (NCRN). NCRN rapidly developed into a robust multi-ethnic and multi-sectoral network of 46 strategic partners and 360 outreach partners consisting of national, state, territorial, tribal, and community organizations. Utilizing our extensive partner network and implementing a comprehensive communication and dissemination strategy using culturally and linguistically appropriate messages, NCRN sought to:
- Improve the reach of COVID-19-related public health messaging.
- Increase connections to healthcare and social services.
- Decrease disparities in COVID-19 testing and vaccination rates among disproportionately impacted populations.
- Enhance state, territorial, tribal, and community-level capacity and infrastructure to support response, recovery, and resilience.
Priority populations included racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, migrant and meat-packing workers, justice-involved populations, immigrant and refugee populations.
From July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2024, NCRN significantly improved the lives of those communities most impacted by COVID-19. From hosting virtual community events to distributing COVID-19 tools and information in different languages, NCRN and its dissemination partners have reached tens of millions of community members with critical health information and resources.
Our Impact
Our accomplishments in collaborating, sharing resources, and improving access to COVID-19
vaccines, treatments, and care are worth celebrating! To learn more about the great
work that was done, visit our {highlight} page.
Thank you to all who participated in and supported our collective vision to improve lives during the pandemic and beyond! While NCRN has ended, we are committed to continuing the work we started through the newly established National Health Equity Collaborative (NHEC). NHEC, like NCRN, is a diverse group of organizations and people dedicated to championing and advancing health equity. Please JOIN US to learn more about how you can be part of this effort.