COVID-19

The CDC continues to recommend the 2023–2024 updated COVID-19 vaccines: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax, to protect against serious illness from COVID-19. Schedule your vaccine appointment online or call 202-469-4699.

You can also order free at-home COVID-19 tests at covidtests.gov. Every home in the U.S. is eligible.

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Helpful Links:

• CDC COVID-19
• COVID-19 Vaccines for People Who Are Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised
• DC Department of Health COVID-19

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Unity’s Frontline Response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Throughout all phases of the District’s pandemic response, Unity has played a pivotal role in combating COVID-19 in communities disproportionately affected by severe illness and death from the virus. As a known pillar of care nestled within these communities, Unity was uniquely poised to serve as a vaccine distribution partner for the District and fight for equitable access to vaccination opportunities for all residents.

In 2021, the success of our team-based care model was highlighted in our work at the forefront of the city’s pandemic response. Throughout the year, our team mobilized to provide cutting-edge COVID testing, contact tracing, vaccinations, and treatment for our patients. We partnered with agencies and organizations across the city, including the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Corrections, DC Primary Care Association, and other Federally Qualified Health Centers to ensure our patients and District residents had the information they needed to make informed decisions about the COVID vaccine and treatment options. We were proud to host mass vaccination events across the city to ensure all people in the District had access to this lifesaving intervention.

In 2022, Unity continued to live its mission of reaching people wherever they are by working to support those experiencing homelessness. In January 2022, Unity, in continued partnership with the Department of Humans Services (DHS), began setting up new Isolation and Quarantine sites to meet the heightened need from the Coronavirus pandemic and support individuals with the Mpox virus. Through Unity’s 340B in-house pharmacy program, providers were able to prescribe and deliver available medications the same day that patients arrived at a Unity site. Unity also continued to support the city’s Pandemic Emergency Program for Medically Vulnerable Individuals, or PEP-V, and provided site-wide testing and vaccines across the District’s low barrier shelter sites.

We continue to see the residual impacts caused by the pandemic: heightened mental and behavioral health challenges, increased substance use disorders, and the effect of delayed preventative care. Our entire organization is committed to advancing health equity by meeting these challenges head-on with the same dignity and respect we strive to provide for our patients and each other every day. This is where our focus is moving forward.

Acknowledgment of Funding:

This website is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $966,357 with 100% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.