Millions of dollars in federal funding was given to Stamford-based Americares to expand its fight against COVID-19.

Rep. Jim Himes made the announcement Tuesday morning outside of the Fred Weisman AmeriCares Free Clinic of Bridgeport.

Americares received $2.6 million, thanks to a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"There's a lot of work to be done to dispel the myths and misinformation, even within the medical community. Americares will also equip clinics with information about vaccine safety so they can share with their patients who are concerned about side effects or efficacy," said Christine Squires, President and CEO of Americares

Himes said the money will go toward reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and training health care workers on how to discuss the vaccine with patients across the country.

"It's about reaching out to communities that otherwise might be skeptical or have difficulties in accessing the vaccine," Himes said.

Americares has provided medicine, supplies and more to health care workers in more than 30 countries as well as 14 million pieces of PPE since the pandemic started.

In Connecticut, Americares also serves more than 3,000 low-income and uninsured patients each year at its free health clinics like the one in Bridgeport.

Earlier this month, Americares announced it had partnered with Stamford Health to get more patients vaccinated.