COVID-19 vaccines available in Baltimore for Native Americans in D.C., Maryland, Virginia

Today, the Indian Health Service, Native American Lifelines of Baltimore, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore are announcing the availability of COVID-19 vaccines for American Indians and Alaska Natives living and working in and near the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas.

Vaccines are being provided by the IHS Nashville Area and will be administered by the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in coordination with Native American Lifelines of Baltimore.

“There are many American Indians and Alaska Natives who live and work in urban areas without close access to Indian health system clinical services, including those who serve tribal communities through public service in the federal government and our many partner organizations,” said Acting IHS Director Elizabeth Fowler. “Providing equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines continues to be a priority as we work to achieve community immunity.”

“Our team has heard the anxiety and hopelessness in the voices of our community members, so many who have watched as coronavirus ravaged their home communities. We’ve felt helpless until now, and we are incredibly grateful to the IHS Nashville Area Office and University of Maryland, Baltimore for making vaccines available for our people,” said Native American Lifelines of Baltimore Executive Director Kerry Hawk Lessard.

“It will take all of us working together to end COVID-19. The University of Maryland, Baltimore has been involved in the development of COVID-19 vaccines and is now administering those same vaccines. We want to do our part to get as many people vaccinated as possible—and especially those who are disproportionally affected by the illness or have difficulty with access,” said University of Maryland, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD.

Beginning Friday, April 16, 2021, vaccines will be available for tribal members and employees of Indian agencies and tribal organizations, as well as their spouses or partners and other household members.

Appointments can be booked now at GetTheShotBaltimore.org  .

The IHS continues to work closely with our tribal and urban Indian organization partners, as well as state and local public health officials, to coordinate a comprehensive public health response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For more on the federal response in Indian Country, visit https://www.ihs.gov/coronavirus/ and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/tribal/  .

Native American Lifelines of Baltimore is an urban Indian organization funded by the Indian Health Service and provides medical case management, health education, cultural programming, behavioral health care and dental services to eligible American Indians and Alaska Natives.

The IHS, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services  , provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 2.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to 574 federally recognized tribes   in 37 states. Follow the agency via social media on Facebook  , Twitter  , and LinkedIn  .

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