The CDC’s Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among High-Risk and Underserved Populations

In March 2021, the CDC launched the National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities, a groundbreaking grant program aimed at supporting high-risk and underserved populations, including racial and ethnic minorities and rural communities. Funded by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, the initiative marked the CDC’s largest historical investment in advancing health equity, totaling approximately $2.25 billion awarded to 108 recipients across all 50 states, 50 localities, and 8 territories. This American Journal of Public Health editorial highlights how the strategies, flexibility, and funding approach of the Health Disparities Grant (HDG) enhanced capacity building at the local level, enabling health departments to better serve vulnerable and underserved communities.