VIDA Project
The pandemic illuminated stark disparities that were always there, but became impossible to ignore. The good news is that a massive effort to reach the people most in need of health information, delivered in an accessible and personal way, has been incredibly successful. The VIDA Project, launched with $4.9 million from the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, hired 126 community health workers at its peak to knock on doors and set up informational tables and answer people’s questions about Covid-19 safety and vaccinations. The idea is strangely simple: Instead of relying on medical professionals to do all of the outreach on health, train regular people to do outreach. They are already trusted, and during a time of crisis and amid dangerous disinformation on vaccines and Covid-19 safety, their work has been lifesaving.