Nashua Health Department Receives COVID-19 Equity Grant

NASHUA, NH — The city of Nashua’s health department will be studying why people of color trust or mistrust the health care system in an effort to increase access to services for city residents.

The city received the post-COVID-19 $50,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation recently in an effort to understand why some people are accessing health care services and others are not.

According to Nicole Chute of Nashua Public Health, “Black, Indigenous, and Other People of Color (BIPOC) populations have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, with apparent social, emotional, and physiological ramifications.” She said the pandemic “shed light” on the inequalities in the health care system and a history of distrust “had contributed to their hesitancy to seek necessary health care, including preventive screenings, and vaccinations.”

The department will hold listening sessions with Gate City residents and interviews with providers to better understand the challenges to delivering and barriers to services, including mental and behavioral health services, too.

The department will be working with NH Listens in August and September to gather the data. The results of the study will be used to assist the department in developing training and educational services as well as a marketing campaign for the city.

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