Atrium Health, Wake Forest Baptist Health Partner with National Urban League N.C. Affiliates to Vaccinate Underserved Communities

Urban League of Central Carolinas and Winston-Salem Urban League will co-host ‘Community Immunity For All’ vaccination events  

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 18, 2021 – To ensure equity in access to COVID-19 vaccines within underserved communities, Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health are partnering with National Urban League North Carolina affiliates Urban League of Central Carolinas and Winston-Salem Urban League to co-host vaccination events in Charlotte and Winston-Salem. The partnership is an extension of the Community Immunity For All collaborative, an effort to coordinate on-site vaccination events with local organizations reaching Black, African American, Hispanic and Latinx communities. 

National Urban League North Carolina affiliates, Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health will co-host vaccination events for those eligible who may experience barriers to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The co-hosted events are possible thanks to grant funding received by the National Urban League to support vaccine distribution among underserved communities. 

In addition to co-hosted vaccination events, the Urban League of Central Carolinas and Winston-Salem Urban League Young Professional Groups will serve as members of Atrium Health’s newly launched Community Vaccine Ambassador Program. Ambassadors will educate their networks of family, friends, coworkers and organizations about the vaccine and encourage community members to get vaccinated. The goal of Atrium Health’s Community Vaccine Ambassador Program is to help families be with each other again, get people back to work sooner, support schools in reopening and staying open, and build trust in the community around the COVID-19 vaccine. 

“Reaching the communities of color that have been most devastated by COVID-19 is the most important challenge of the vaccine rollout,” said Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of National Urban League. “We’re proud that our North Carolina affiliates are partnering with Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health on an initiative to deliver vital information from trusted messengers to positively impact the health and safety of Black and Latino North Carolinians.” 

“Atrium Health and the National Urban League have a shared mission to improve the lives of African Americans and historically underserved groups by ensuring equitable access to achieve good health and well-being,” said Kinneil Coltman, DHA, senior vice president, chief community and social impact officer of Atrium Health and vice chair, board of directors at Urban League of Central Carolinas. “With the support of National Urban League’s North Carolina affiliates, together, we can save more lives by vaccinating underserved communities and those most disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.” 

“African American and underserved communities throughout the Charlotte region need access to vaccines to safely turn around the negative effects of COVID-19 from trusted partners,” said Teddy McDaniel, III, president and CEO of Urban League of Central Carolinas. “Frontline workers, educators of all types, seniors and people with higher risk medical conditions are now eligible to receive their vaccine. We are proud to partner with Atrium Health in hosting this timely event.” 

“The Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity is very excited to contribute to the partnership with the Urban League, Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health to assure COVID-19 vaccine uptake in communities that have been most impacted by the pandemic,” said Goldie S. Byrd, Ph.D., professor and director of the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity. “This partnership extends the yearlong work that that the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity has done to improve awareness, connect communities to resources and encourage vaccinations in the most vulnerable. Through this partnership, we will increase much-needed access to the vaccine that is sorely needed in the state of North Carolina.” 

“The Winston-Salem Urban League is excited to partner with Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health to host our upcoming COVID-19 vaccine event,” said James H. Perry, J.D. president and CEO of Winston-Salem Urban League. “For more than a year, Black and Latino communities across North Carolina have suffered from COVID-19 transmission at a disproportionate rate.  Our COVID-19 vaccination event is a sign that there is light at the end of the tunnel.” 

Atrium Health’s Community Immunity For All collaborative brings roving vaccine units to underserved communities that, to date, have allowed for the vaccination of more than 9,000 community members at over 20 community host sites, including a variety of churches and organizations that serve African American and Hispanic populations. Communities of color represent nearly 75 percent of those vaccinated through Atrium Health’s roving vaccine clinic. Atrium Health has plans to scale its roving vaccine clinic capacity with the addition of two new mobile units arriving in spring 2021. 

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is the best way for people to protect themselves, their families and their community. As larger portions of the population are vaccinated, the whole community becomes better protected. More information about Atrium Health’s vaccination plans for the public, including frequently asked questions and to schedule vaccine appointments, visit AtriumHealth.org/COVID19Vaccine.  

For more information about Wake Forest Baptist's vaccination events in the Triad and to schedule vaccine appointments, visit WakeHealth.edu/Coronavirus/Vaccine. 

If interested in becoming an Atrium Health Community Vaccine Ambassador, email CommunityBenefit@AtriumHealth.org and include “Community Vaccine Ambassador Program” in the subject line.  

Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Atrium Health is an integrated, nonprofit health system with more than 70,000 teammates serving patients at 42 hospitals and more than 1,500 care locations. It provides care under the Wake Forest Baptist Health name in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina region and Atrium Health Navicent in Georgia. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest School of Medicine is the academic core of the enterprise, including Wake Forest Innovations, which is advancing new medical technologies and biomedical discoveries. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals for cancer treatment and in eight pediatric specialties, Atrium Health has also received the American Hospital Association’s Quest for Quality Prize and was the recipient of the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Award for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care. With a commitment to every community it serves, Atrium Health seeks to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all, providing more than $2 billion per year in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits.