Vaccine Equity

“We're in the areas where there is need. We're going to the Latino areas, we have a huge refugee population and we're going there as well. We're seeing great support from folks attending our (COVID-19 Pop-Up) testing sites... we have a greater show rate than in clinics. People are responding to places where they trust. Places they have confidence. Going to places where they will be treated as human beings and not just numbers and subjects.”

— Broderick Crawford, NBC CDC
June 1, 2020 on KCUR

Wyandotte County was hit hard by COVID.

  • In March, 2020, Wyandotte County experienced the first COVID-19 outbreak in the Kansa City Region.

    Unfortunately, there were no COVID-19 testing options available in Wyandotte County at that time.

  • Early data during the pandemic showed a major racial disparity among who was impacted most by COVID-19.

  • The Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force was formed to reduce systemic barriers to accessing health, including COVID-19.

    By working with local community, public health, medical, and clinical partners, the HETF coordinated strategies on how to best respond to the pandemic.

The Kansas COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Task Force

To address racial and ethnic disparities in vaccination rates in Kansas, Governor Laura Kelly convened the COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Task Force.

The Kansas COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Task Force included academics, community organizers, physicians, nurses and faith leaders, as well as representatives from state government.

Members of the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force (HETF) that participated:

  • Andrea Perdomo-Morales, Vibrant Health

  • Broderick Crawford, NBC CDC

  • Dr. Allen Greiner, KU Medical Center; WYCO Public Health Department

  • Erica Andrade, El Centro, Inc.

  • Rev. Mang Sonna, Bethel Neighborhood Center

  • Mariana Ramirez, JUNTOS Center for Advancing Latino Health

  • Nicole Garner, WYCO Public Health Department

  • Rev. Tony Carter, Salem Missionary Baptist Church

You can click play to watch a presentation from the Kansas COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Task Force, with HETF members presenting as well:

Recommendations for Vaccine Equity:

The recommendations of the Kansas COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Task Force were included in the Governor's Commission on Racial Equity & Justice 2021 Report. They recommended:

1) Provide COVID-19 vaccines and treatment to uninsured individuals in exchange for 100 percent federal matching rate for these services.

2) Provide grants to trusted partners and community-based organizations that could both educate people about the importance of data collection and collect data at vaccination sites.

3) Utilize culturally competent messaging about vaccine efficacy and availability. Make sure materials and communications are available in a variety of languages.

4) Permit Medicaid enrollees to use the Medicaid Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) benefit to access transportation to get vaccinated. Work to ensure this benefit is easily accessible.

5) Develop a strategy for reaching people who are confined, using existing home visiting infrastructure, such as medical house calls, visiting nurses, or even programs like Meals on Wheels, can help reach this population.

6) Identify strategies to distribute vaccines to the most impacted communities.

7) Employ phone banking, canvassing and municipal emergency alert systems or reverse 911 infrastructure to notify people of vaccine availability.

8) Set up partnerships with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and schools that reach targeted populations to conduct neighborhood-based vaccination clinics.

Meet People Where They Are:

As the pandemic has evolved and resources have shifted, the members of the HETF have responded by collaborating to support their community:

  • Bringing COVID-19 ]Pop-Up’ testing and vaccination events to underserved areas.

  • Translating documents into multiple languages, including Spanish, Burmese, and Nepali.

  • Coordinating door-to-door canvassing with community health organizations.

  • Using data and mapping to evaluate the impact of neighborhood-based approaches.

Pop-Up Events

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Health Equity Task Force worked to increase access to COVID-19 testing events in Wyandotte County.

Additional health services were provided at pop-up events as well, including food drives, health screenings, and vaccines once they were available.

Members of the Health Equity Task Force have been out in their communities to make sure COVID-19 information is readily available and accessible to all residents.

 

Previous COVID-19 Pop-Up Events

HETF member organization NBC CDC hosted regular COVID-19 events:

The HETF has partnered with churches to provide space for pop-up events

 

Neighborhood-Based Clinic Locations

The Health Equity Task Force has launched a new collaborative approach to making COVID-19 testing, vaccination, boosters, and other community health resources more accessible in underserved areas.

The Neighborhood-Based Clinic Locations (NBCL) Grant, supported by the WYCO Public Health Department, calls for coordination between neighborhood-based locations and host partners; community health partners that provide health education, navigation, and resources; and clinical partners whose staff ensures a safe and welcoming environment to receive COVID-19 or other health services.

The HETF has worked alongside these partners to translate NBCL calendars into multiple languages, provide gift card incentives, and develop doorhanger fliers to canvass areas where there is a high density of unvaccinated individuals eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.

The NBCL approach builds upon two years of HETF-led Pop-Up COVID-19 testing and vaccine events. It uses what has worked best among HETF partners so that they can work together to provide consistent and convenient access to COVID-19 resources in the areas of highest need. This approach can be adapted for other health needs, like the Social Determinants of Health.

 

Examples:

The NBCL approach is based upon what HETF Member organizations like El Centro, Inc. and Swope Health successfully piloted at the Merc Co+Op grocery store:

HETF Member organization Vibrant Health returned to Miracle Temple COGIC on Quindaro Boulevard, the site of the first COVID-19 outbreak in KCK: