HHS Launches Hotline to Improve Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for People with Disabilities

 

To: All Licensed Health Facilities From: Health Facilities and Emergency Medical Services Division (HFEMSD)   Today, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the launch of a first-of-its-kind national hotline to connect people with disabilities to information and services to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines.   The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) is now available to help people with disabilities find vaccination locations in their communities, assist callers with making vaccination appointments, and connect callers to local services – such as accessible transportation – to overcome barriers to vaccination. The hotline also can provide information and resources to answer questions and address concerns about the vaccines and can connect callers to information and services that promote independent living and address fundamental needs, such as food, housing, and transportation. DIAL is operated as a collaboration between a consortium of organizations serving people with disabilities and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a). The consortium includes: Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL), Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU), National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), National Disabilities Rights Network (NDRN), and The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies. This collaboration benefits from the disability networks’ extensive knowledge and expertise in meeting the needs of people with disabilities across the U.S. and n4a’s decades of experience operating the Eldercare Locator, the only federally funded national information and referral resource that supports consumers across the spectrum of issues affecting older Americans. By leveraging these capabilities, ACL was able to launch this critical tool in less than six weeks. Additional information can be located here:   https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USACL/bulletins/2e315ab