A statewide vaccine equity initiative awards the Latino Center for Health $40,000 to support vaccination efforts in Latino/e communities across Washington State. Latinos are lagging behind in getting the COVID-19 vaccine and remain at significant risk of infection as Delta variant spreads within the U.S.
University of Washington, Seattle: All in Washington’s Vaccine Equity Initiative has awarded $40,000 to the Latino Center for Health (LCH) to provide support for the ¡Adiós COVID! project and other vaccination efforts in Latino/e communities across Washington.
Although significant progress has been made in vaccinating the population of Washington State against COVID-19, Latino/e communities throughout the state are lagging behind and remain at significant risk of infection. As of July 1st, 2021, 35% of Latinos in the state are fully vaccinated, 6% are partially vaccinated, and as many as 60% remain unvaccinated. With the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, a more infectious and likely more virulent strain of the COVID-19 virus, it is imperative that community-based efforts like the ¡Adiós COVID! project are funded and supported.
¡Adiós COVID! is an all-volunteer project led by individuals at UW Medicine and UW iSchool focused on helping all eligible Washington Latinos get the COVID-19 vaccine. The ¡Adiós COVID! website, available both in English and in Spanish, is designed to assist Latinos in finding vaccination locations near them and facilitate the scheduling of vaccination appointments. ¡Adiós COVID! also involves partnering with community-based organizations across Washington to bring COVID-19 vaccine mobile clinics to Latino/e communities.
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All In Washington was established to mobilize community, business, and philanthropic leaders across the state to address the profound effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable people, workers, and families. The Vaccine Equity Initiative was launched to support equitable distribution of vaccines by streamlining and directing funds to trusted, community-based organizations that can conduct linguistically and culturally-specific vaccine education and outreach to those most impacted, especially in Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color. Initiative grants also help fund mobile pop-up and door-to-door vaccine clinics and address transportation, technology and other barriers to vaccination in communities across Washington.
The Latino Center for Health is committed to advancing the field of Latino health through building capacity to support culturally responsive research and shaping the next generation of leaders equipped to respond to current and emerging health issues facing diverse Latino communities in the state and region. Through prioritizing community-academic partnerships, professional training and mentorship, and innovative research approaches, the Latino Center for Health positions itself as a critical resource to inform policy development and effective practices promoting health in urban and rural settings across Washington state.