What's Behind the Vaccination Gap for Latinos?
A March 29 story in the NY Times highlighted common barriers and systemic inequities for the Latino community.
"Hispanic people across the United States continue to be especially underrepresented among those vaccinated for Covid-19, according to a New York Times analysis of state-reported race and ethnicity information.
The Hispanic share of the vaccinated population is less than the Hispanic general population in all states with large Hispanic communities.
Barriers to vaccine access faced in many Hispanic communities — alongside the structural limitations communities of color generally face — stand in the way of higher vaccination rates, even as the vaccine becomes more widely available, according to public health experts and community health organizers." Read full story here.
In Oregon, as vaccination access opens quickly, we must continue to educate our Latino community and advocate to ensure equitable vaccination rates to overcome disparities. Two recently steps in the right direction:
On April 6 Governor Brown stated, "Oregon’s Black, Indigenous, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and communities of color have been disproportionately hard-hit by this disease. We must reach Oregonians where they are, including those who may not have easy access to health care or the ability to take time off from work. Over the next two weeks, we will dedicate all available resources to ensure Oregon’s frontline workers and people with underlying conditions have access to vaccines––two groups in which Oregonians from communities of color are predominantly represented."
On March 26 all of Oregon’s COVID-19 vaccine-enrolled Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) were approved to vaccinate anyone – regardless of whether they are currently eligible – to ensure the vaccine is distributed equitably to all people in Oregon. A pilot program improved access to vaccination so much that Governor Brown and OHA decided every FQHC should have this flexibility. FQHCs will reach out to their patients and communities to schedule vaccinations.