Massachusetts Rural Vaccine Program
In partnership with the Massachusetts State Office of Rural Health (SORH), NEHRA engages community based organizations to help them become more effective in advancing community health. This work directly supports the SORH’s goals to build partnerships to increase access to health services, develop better systems of care, and improve the health status of rural communities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
One such priority is the Rural Vaccine Initiative:
NEHRA supports Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in rural regions across the Commonwealth to respond to their individualized needs for vaccine uptake.
NERHA provides the following activities to meet the scope of contracted services for this initiative:
Fund rural CBOs through a competitive process.
Provide technical assistance, training, and evaluation support to rural community-based organizations CBOs.
Coordination of a peer learning network for information exchange across funded regions and work with Massachusetts Department of Health (DPH) staff to help CBOs navigate internal MDPH resources.
Build capacity through training and guidance.
Discover the Rural Effect
Where Investments in Rural Sparked Big Change
Rural health doesn’t change overnight, but when the right resources reach the right hands, the impact radiates quickly. The Rural Vaccine Equity Initiative (RVEI) invested millions in strategic grants to support community-led public health. That funding flows to Community Benefit Organizations (CBOs), trusted local teams equipped to act fast.
That’s the ripple effect:
State investment → Local action → Community protection → Regional resilience
With those targeted grants, CBOs fortified vaccine equity, improved food and health access, and strengthened services for housing, transportation, youth, and older populations. They didn’t just respond to the pandemic, they built the infrastructure for rural health to grow.
10,000+ hours volunteered
A Ripple of Impact Across Rural Massachusetts
The Rural Vaccine Equity Initiative touched every corner of the state, powering partnerships, increasing access, and supporting over 138,000 rural residents. These numbers reflect the collective strength of 15 community-based organizations working side-by-side to build healthier futures.
Help Us Sustain the Rural Effect
Each connection, investment, and innovation creates ripples that protect and uplift rural lives—today and for generations to come.
The Rural Effect proves that bold outcomes can grow from simple, strategic support. Across Massachusetts, rural-serving organizations have mobilized to meet urgent needs and long-standing challenges, building trust, delivering vaccines, creating food access, and shaping systems that work for the people they serve.
Your partnership can help extend this work, fueling community-based leadership, amplifying health equity, and advancing solutions for housing, transportation, mental health, and more. Together, we can continue building resilience, dignity, and opportunity in every rural corner.