COVID-19 Testing, Vaccines, and Mobile Health Units Access in Indiana

The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) is offering the 2024-2025 Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) American Rescue Plan (ARP) Supplemental Funding Grant. This grant aims to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19, with a specific focus on increasing access to COVID-19 testing, vaccines, and mobile health units to mitigate the virus's spread and enhance support for domestic violence survivors and their dependents. The program aligns with the mission of supporting community-based projects that effectively aid victims of family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence. The primary beneficiaries of this grant are domestic violence shelters, domestic violence programs, culturally specific organizations, tribes, rural communities, racial and ethnic specific communities, and limited English proficient (LEP) individuals, as well as domestic violence survivors and their dependents. The impact goals are to eliminate barriers to COVID-19 testing and supplies, provide resources for onsite testing, ensure access to rapid testing, maintain and increase testing efforts, expand access to testing for underserved populations, and broaden COVID-19 mitigation activities. The grant prioritizes several key areas, including COVID-19 testing (viral and antibody tests, planning, training, reporting, and supply procurement), COVID-19 mitigation (reducing transmission, case investigation, contact tracing, screening, education, and referrals), and COVID-19 vaccine access (administration, outreach, education, appointment assistance, and transportation). Additionally, the grant supports mobile health units for testing, vaccine administration, and preventative health services, along with workforce expansions, capacity building, and personnel support to ensure the continuity of domestic violence services. Expected outcomes include increased access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines, reduced spread of the virus, and enhanced support systems for domestic violence survivors. Measurable results will likely involve the number of individuals tested, vaccinated, and reached through mobile health units, as well as improvements in survivor services. The ICJI's strategic priority is to give special emphasis to community-based projects carried out by nonprofit private organizations that operate shelters or provide counseling, advocacy, and self-help services to victims of family violence. The theory of change suggests that by providing these supplemental funds, ICJI can strengthen the public health response to COVID-19 while simultaneously supporting and sustaining the advocacy workforce dedicated to preventing and responding to the needs of domestic violence survivors during the ongoing public health emergency.