Latino communities were among the first to be devastated by the novel coronavirus pandemic, becoming likelier to contract the virus, and die at a disproportionate rate. Now these communities are facing newer obstacles when it comes to vaccine accessibility, ranging from language and technology issues to lack of a primary health provider,The New York Times reports.
There have been negative effects already, findings indicated. “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 report said. These barriers “stand in the way of higher vaccination rates, even as the vaccine becomes more widely available,” the report continued.
“A trusted health care provider who shares information about the vaccine can alleviate some of these barriers, according to public health experts,” the report said. “But Hispanic people are less likely to have an existing relationship with a health care provider.” But this is where trusted community health advocates stand to play a hugely significant role, including disseminating important information. “Seeing people like you, speaking like you, it is critical,” Gilda Pedraza, executive director of the Atlanta-based Latino Community Fund, told The Times. “It is what changes behavior.” Indeed, for many families, individuals like an older child have taken on that role.
Health disparities facing Latino families also highlights the importance of the Biden administration’s initiative directing more doses to community clinics, which have historically played important roles in serving Latino, Black, AAPI, and low-income communities. The Federally Qualified Health Center program, launched last month, directs vaccines to clinics “reaching our underserved and most vulnerable communities … Community Health Centers provide primary care services in underserved communities across the country. There are more than 1,300 Community Health Centers serving almost 30 million people across the country.”
The Times reported vaccine distribution at community health clinics is already having a positive effect. “While the Hispanic share of the U.S. population is about 18 percent, Hispanic people made up more than a quarter of those nationwide who received their first dose at a community health center, according to an analysis of federal data by the Kaiser Family Foundation.” Local and state efforts are also aiding this. ABC 7 News reports the Bay Area’s Fruitvale District, which has had one of the worst COVID-19 rates in the entire nation, is set to get nearly 40% of the state’s vaccine supply under a new state initiative. La Clinica de la Raza, a community clinic in the area, will likely be a recipient.
"This is where the highest positive rate happened during the pandemic," Teena Benitez, a vaccine clinic coordinator for the clinic, said in the report. "This community has been severely impacted and we're trying to resolve the disparities we see within the community." La Clinica also provides COVID-19 testing on-site.
But accessibility can still mean inaccessibility in some circumstances. “There is limited access to the digital tools needed to secure an appointment, for instance, especially among those who are older and live in immigrant communities,” the report said. James Rudyk, executive director of Chicago-based Northwest Side Housing Center, told The Times that “[o]ur folks don’t have emails, they don’t have computers at home.” Maybe they have a smartphone with internet accessibility to book an appointment. What if they don’t know how to do that? “They have smartphones, but they are not navigating registration systems that want you to fill out pages and pages of information,” Rudyk continued. Once again, this is where a relative, healthcare advocate, or community clinic plays a significant role.
While Biden administration policy states that the Department of Homeland Security “and its Federal government partners fully support equal access to the COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine distribution sites for undocumented immigrants,” worries about immigration status still exist among undocumented communities.
“Yesterday I received two calls from people who are in the process of trying to regularize their situation, and they were saying, ‘We would rather not have our vaccine, because what if they find out that we got it and it affects our immigration process?’” Pedraza continued in the report. “And I said, ‘You might not live to see your immigration process if you don’t get your vaccine.’”
Some undocumented people who have booked appointments have encountered difficulties relating to an ID, like Southern California resident Sebastian Araujo’s mom. She was initially turned away at her Rite Aid appointment for lack of a U.S. ID, even though the CDC has issued guidelines for partner pharmacies distributing the vaccine that “assures that no one will be turned away for lack of specific identification documents,” like a government-issued ID or driver’s license. Backlash from local leaders and social media followed, leading to the pharmacy apologizing to the family and offering to rebook the appointment. The family did, but at another location. They urged continued vigilance, saying they’d heard of other undocumented people elsewhere being turned away.
"We accepted their apology but we're not just going to sit and watch the disparities continue to happen,” Araujo said in a CNN report. “Me and my mom are going to continue to speak out about this issue."