To encourage home health workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) has partnered with the National Minority Health Association and the Flex for Checks program, NAHC announced Aug. 23.

Flex for Checks is a federally-funded program that offers financial incentives for vaccinations to home health workers and agencies.

"We need to be honest and recognize our shortfall in vaccinations as an industry. But as an industry, we need to come together to solve it," NAHC CEO Bill Dombi said in a statement. "This is even more of an urgent issue as the delta variant is quickly spreading among the unvaccinated, coupled with colder winter months approaching. We are pleased to join with NMHA in this collaborative effort."

A grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration will help NMHA "mobilize frontline home health workers as trusted messengers to conduct on-the-ground outreach to educate and assist individuals in receiving reliable information about vaccinations and reward health care agency workers for helping guide consumers to receive that vaccination," the NAHC statement said.

"Nothing like this program has been undertaken in this manner, where homecare agencies, workers, consumers, pharmacies and software companies come together and flex their arms in the fight of our lives against COVID-19," Burgess Harrison, NMHA's executive director, said.

NAHC is a trade association for home care and hospice professionals. NMHA is based in Owings Mills, MD and addresses disparities in healthcare for underserved communities.

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