Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Latinos in WA State and its Toll on Women

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the U.S. economy, with Latinos experiencing a disproportionate impact. Latinos represent a large proportion of workers in many industries that are essential to the economy. As essential workers, they have faced more exposure to COVID-19, resulting in higher rates of infection and mortality. Latino workers have also disproportionately experienced loss of jobs, decreased work hours, and work-related income throughout the country with the largest losses among Latina women workers. In Washington state, while massive job losses have been widespread across industries, their effects have been worse for Latino workers who had lower incomes and higher poverty rates during the pre-pandemic economy, resulting in greater financial vulnerability to the economic shocks of the pandemic. As a result, Latinos have been disproportionately impacted by housing and food insecurity. Since the pandemic began, rates of food insecurity among Latino households with children have risen from 16.8% pre-pandemic to 47%, with recent data showing that this trend is likely to continue.

Vaccination Rates Among Washington State’s Latinos are Improving, but Challenges Remain

Although Washington State has made significant progress towards vaccinating Latinos against COVID-19, some urban and rural Latinx communities are lagging behind the state as a whole, and remain at significant risk of COVID-19 infections. In fact, data from the state COVID-19 dashboard show higher infection, hospitalization and death rates among Latinos compared with Whites.1 The CDC’s recent recommendations for booster vaccinations and the anticipated expansion of eligibility to include 5-11 year-olds will add to the number of Latinos needing vaccination in our state.

Examining Trusted Sources of COVID-19 Information Among Latinos

Our findings suggest television, social media, and community-based organizations are important channels of information to use to reach Latinos. Television and social media are important channels of information for both English and Spanish speakers. Social media is a particularly important channel for reaching younger Latinos, including those 18 to 30 years of age. It is urgent that new, culturally respon- sive and family-centered messaging about vac- cinations and the use of facial coverings, social distancing, and hand sanitation be developed and deployed in Spanish and English to reach Latinos throughout WA State in order to stem the rapid spread of COVID-19 and address fears and concerns.

Depression and Anxiety among Latinos: Urgent Call for Mental Health Services

During the pandemic, many Latinos have ex- perienced poverty as well as unemployment, in addition to food and housing insecurities. These stressors have been associated with greater occurrence of mental illness.13,14 The COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted these disparities and stressors when accessing mental health care as well as accessing testing and vaccinations.9 These realities are an urgent concern that warrants strategic attention.

Latino Views on COVID-19 Vaccinations: Understanding Hesitancy

This policy brief addresses COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Sea Mar Community Health Center Latino patients. Although vaccine hesitancy remains an important barrier to vaccinating Latinos/Hispanics in Washington state, most Latinos say they are willing to take the vaccine. In this brief, we share the results of a recent survey and offer recommendations for addressing barriers to the vaccination of Latinos.

Addressing the Need for Culturally Responsive and Bidirectional Research Communication with the Latinx Community

The BRIDGE Project

Responding to the need for sustainable academic-community partnerships to address the burden of COVID-19 in Washington State Latinx communities, this project aims to develop an innovative bi-cultural, Bi-directional Research Digital Engagement (BRIDGE) project.

BRIDGE is a new partnership between the Latino Center for Health, the UW Department of Communications’ Center for Communication Difference and Equity (CCDE), UW School of Medicine’s Latinx Health Pathway (LHP) and the Mexican Consulate. BRIDGE aims to highlight community voices to address current COVID-19 needs and create a sustainable platform for future communication around Latinx health.

BRIDGE’s innovative approach leverages infrastructure from the Mexican consulate (Spanish radio programing and Facebook reach 20,000+ followers) and an interdisciplinary network of faculty in LHP, combined with CCDE’s storytelling experience, to create an interactive platform for in-time communication with Latinx communities.

Based on findings from LCH’s collaborative work around COVID-19 with the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network and SeaMar Community Health Centers, and input from our community partner, the Mexican Consulate, BRIDGE proposes a stepwise pilot program that captures community needs through personal stories to understand gaps in care, education and outreach related to COVID-19 (e.g., mental health, school needs for Latinx children). It responds to outlined needs with in-time, culturally appropriate educational content (e.g., vaccinations) from bicultural/bilingual faculty and students to be disseminated through the Mexican Consulate’s outreach network.

Pilot data will inform future COVID-19 research efforts and a grant submission on the evaluation of social media as a tool for disseminating culturally appropriate health information to Latinx immigrant communities.

The 2020 WA State Health Equity for Immigrants Report

Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, Northwest Health Law Advocates, El Centro de la Raza & ACLU Washington

In 2018, the undocumented immigrant population in Washington State (WA) was an estimated 240,000 people, or approximately 5.2% of the total WA population. Undocumented individuals have limited access to health insurance options due to eligibility restrictions, leading to high uninsured rates compared to their documented counterparts. As of 2018, an estimated 46% of undocumented individuals were uninsured in WA, compared to just 7% uninsured in the overall population in WA.

A Qualitative Study of Latino Workers’ Experiences with Washington State’s Department of Labor and Industries Healthcare Benefits

In collaboration with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), this project seeks to identify the strengths and the barriers to accessing workers’ compensation experienced by Latino workers residing in Central Washington. Previous research suggests an underutilization of L&I services by Latino workers in the state as well as differential patterns of outcomes for injured Latino workers. Through a series of 25-30 key informant interviews with Latino workers, providers, community advocates, and attorneys, this project will shed light on the Latino worker’s experience in an effort to inform practices and policies that are culturally responsive to promote the well-being of rural Latinos.

Understanding Washington Latinos’ Experiences around COVID-19

In collaboration with Sea Mar Community Health Centers, this research study seeks to survey 500 urban and rural Latino patients across WA State to better understand their experiences surrounding COVID-19, including experiences around health and wellbeing, housing, employment, immigration, safety, and attitudes towards vaccinations.

COVID-19 Policy Brief Series:

  1. Latino Views on COVID-19 Vaccinations: Understanding Hesitancy. Released April 27, 2021.
  2. Depression and Anxiety among Latinos: Urgent Call for Mental Health Services. Released June 16, 2021.
  3. Vaccination Rates Among Washington State Latinos Remain Low as Delta Variant Emerges in the U.S. Released July 7, 2021.
  4. Examining Trusted Sources of COVID-19 Information Among Latinos. Released October 6, 2021.
  5. Vaccination Rates Among Washington State’s Latinos are Improving, but Challenges Remain. Released October 27, 2021.
  6. Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Latinos in WA State and its Toll on Women. Released December 9, 2021.

Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) Hotline Summary Report

Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network & Latino Center for Health

WAISN was created in November 2016 in response to the presidential election and is now made up of over 100 organizations with backgrounds and specialties in law, education, policy, and direct services. It has become a powerful, volunteer-driven network of immigrants and refugee-rights organizations, working alongside community members across the state to address systemic inequities and provide information and resources to alleviate the impact of threats and anti-immigrant actions. One such resource is WAISN’s hotline, which serves to connect community members with trusted information and resources. Since its inception, the WAISN hotline primarily served to respond to Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE)/Custom Border Patrol (CBP) activity, report the detention of a group or individuals, referral assistance for friends and family that are detained, access to know-your-rights information and Fair Fight Bond and Accompaniment. In March 2020, as COVID-19 began to spread in Washington State, not only did WAISN start receiving an influx of calls, but the nature of the calls shifted in response to social, economic, and healthcare challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Being a trusted source of information, community members reached out to WAISN for support regarding information and questions about COVID-19, resources about rental assistance, food, utilities, workplace safety, and unemployment, primarily.