The Niagara Falls Health Equity Task Force

About The NFHETF

In June of 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its’ disparate impacts on BIPOC communities, Dr. Ward formed the Niagara Falls Health Equity Task Force.

Since June of 2020, the task force has met 72 times to identify community needs and to facilitate a collaborative, stakeholder-driven, pandemic intervention in proven-risk census tracts and neighborhoods. The goal of the Task Force is to reduce health disparities for vulnerable residents living in Niagara County. Our objectives include the tracking and analysis of Niagara County COVID-19 data (including both positivity rates and vaccination rates), the facilitation of community, residential testing that removes testing barriers, the facilitation of community-based vaccination clinics, the education of community members about prevention and early intervention measures as well as the COVID-19 vaccination, the facilitation of personal protective equipment (PPE) distribution, and the identification of growing and changing community needs related to the current pandemic.

For more information on the task force, please contact the project director at 716-286-8115.