HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. — (NOTA DEL EDITOR: El Departamento de Salud del Condado de Hamilton tienen recursos en español sobre COVID-19. Ver más abajo.)
Data from local and state health departments show major disparities in vaccinations based on race and ethnicity.
This comes as Tennessee’s Department of Health has partnered with pharmacies across the state – including Clinica Medicos in Chattanooga – to add opportunities in underserved communities.
We’re told Clinica Medicos began giving out doses of the vaccine Monday as part of a limited, 100-dose shipment sent to them from the state.
For privacy reasons, we weren’t allowed to film it, but we did dig deeper into why the Latinx community accounts for just two percent of the 26,000 people who’ve received at least shot in Hamilton County. That’s according to the Health Department’s latest dashboard.
Outreach coordinators call this issue a mix of two things: A lack of awareness and trust.
“At a national level, only 30 percent of Latinx individuals know what’s in the vaccine, or how it was developed,” said Paulo Hutson Solórzano, Latinx Outreach Consultant for Cempa Community Care. “There’s a lot of challenges. I mean, it’s already hard to understand in English who’s eligible.”
To be fair, the U.S. Census Bureau shows the Hispanic community makes up just six percent of Hamilton County’s population.
But long-time locals, like Neighborhood Grocery owner Carlos Taveras, tell us there’s more to it than that.
“I hear from a lot of people that they’re not going to get a shot because they’re afraid something’s going to go bad,” Taveras said.
Meanwhile, Cempa says the key is sending a consistent message on the ground level – on what’s available, and that there’s nothing to fear.
“Debunking a lot of the myths that have arisen, such as the vaccine causes infertility or there’s a tracker in it,” Solorzano said.
The Health Department already has created registration posters in both English and Spanish.
But we asked them – what else can be done?
A spokesperson tells us a new Spanish webpage for vaccines is in progress, and they’re working on outreach efforts partnering with pastors from Spanish speaking churches to get the essential information out.
Solorzano mentioned a similar tactic.
“We have houses of faith and worship, school systems, and community leaders that really have that trust already,” he said.
The Hamilton County Health Department also says it has a bilingual hotline staff (423-209-8383) and an appointment call center in Spanish (423-209-5384).
Learn more here.
