Community Partners and LA County Launch the County COVID-19 Community Equity Fund

Community Partners has been selected as the leading entity to administer the newly launched County COVID-19 Community Equity Fund in partnership with the LA County Department of Health Services and the Department of Public Health and to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in communities disproportionately impacted by the virus. Fifty-one community-based organizations, or CBOs, will receive funding to provide a range of services, including outreach, education, case investigation and contact tracing. They also will help individuals who live in hard-hit neighborhoods connect with health and social services.

The goal of the Community Equity Fund is to reduce the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 in LA County by partnering with organizations and providing them with funding, training and technical assistance. The organizations will raise awareness in their communities on how residents prevent spreading COVID-19 and will connect residents to health care, social services and COVID-19 testing, when necessary. Some will also conduct case investigation and contact tracing to inform people who have been exposed to or are infected with COVID-19 about their risks and the need to isolate and quarantine, respectively.

Three of Community Partners’ projects are participating in this effort to provide COVID-19 prevention services to priority regions and individuals – Urban Peace Institute, California Native Vote Project and Gender Justice LA. They will each receive $230,000 awards from the Department of Health Services.

“In a field of over 200 applicants, these projects stood out for the strength of their applications, the quality of their work and the trusted status they hold within their respective communities,” said Phyllis Owens, vice president, business development and strategic partnerships.