olln awarded a $5 million grant from oregon health authority to combat covid 19

September 24, 2020 (Woodburn, Ore.) The Oregon Latinx Leadership Network (OLLN) was awarded a $5 million COVID-19 grant from the Oregon Health Authority to provide necessary short-term relief and long-term recovery for Latinx communities. The OLLN will ensure that Latinx communities across the state get the resources they need during and after this pandemic.

OLLN will use the grant to create a statewide multilingual prevention, education and information campaign to reach Latinx communities in Oregon, mainly concentrating on rural communities. “Latinos represent the largest ethnic group in Oregon and was the hardest hit by COVID-19,” said Anthony Veliz, founder of OLLN. “There was a lack of timely and translated information about the virus in Latinx communities throughout Oregon.”

A significant portion of the grant will go toward the purchase and distribution of personal protection equipment, to support community-based organizations that serve this population and to conduct a comprehensive study of the impact of COVID-19 on Oregon’s Latinx communities.
OLLN was founded due to Oregon’s lack of bilingual/bicultural leaders and advocates at all levels of government during this pandemic. It is comprised of Latino leaders from across Oregon and includes a network of over 80 organizations.

“It became clear that Latinx communities were not receiving the resources to protect themselves and to survive economically, let alone thrive during this pandemic,” said Veliz. “The ‘first-come, first-serve’ processes and expectations created a greater inequality for Oregon’s Latinx communities.”

OLLN will launch its prevention efforts this Saturday, September 26, when a team of bilingual/bicultural mental health therapists and volunteers take donations and resources to Latino communities in Southern Oregon affected by COVID-19 and displaced by the recent wildfires.

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The Oregon Latinx Leadership Network exists to build and strengthen community and resilience among our Latinx community, to organize and advocate around a strategic budget and policy agenda, and partner with leaders and public officials to advance change to enhance the wellbeing of all Oregonians.