Coalition working to boost vaccine participation in Iowa minority communities

JOHNSTON - Jonathan Whitfield, a pastor at Corinthian Baptist Church in Des Moines, recalled the ice cream truck that would come to neighborhoods with all manner of sweet treats for children. He said it was especially great for families who otherwise may have had a difficult time getting to the store.

That's the same spirit, Whitfield said, behind an effort to encourage and help Central Iowa minorities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

'Somebody might have thought that maybe if I just be intentional about bringing the ice cream to the neighborhood, I'll be able to bring all of those who might want it out of their homes and they will come to the truck,” Whitfield said. 'I think that's what we're talking about here with these efforts … we're just being intentional about bringing what is needed to our community.”

A coalition of Central Iowa medical providers, religious entities and nonprofit organizations is working to inform minority communities about the vaccine and to establish large-scale clinics in the communities.

Whitfield and Dr. Yogesh Shah, chief medical officer at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, discussed the efforts Wednesday during Gov. Kim Reynolds' news conference on the state's pandemic response.

Whitfield said stigma, misinformation, language or cultural differences and mistrust due to 'historical discrimination” contribute to some people being hesitant to seek or accept medical help like vaccines.

'These barriers are real, and we have to face these realities. These barriers are as thick as any wall you can imagine because of the historical data that exists in minority communities relative to experiences with our systems,” Whitfield said.

Shah said the partnership between Broadlawns and dozens of other community religious and nonprofit partners, including United Way, Urban Dreams and the Polk County public health department, already has yielded the distribution of 16,500 masks and 11,500 bottles of hand sanitizer to minority communities. Shah said a vaccination clinic scheduled for this weekend in Central Iowa filled 1,000 appointments in 48 hours.

'Studies after studies have showed that our ZIP code is more important than our genetic code for health outcomes,” Shah said. 'We need to expand access to our care where people are: in their homes and in their community.”

Reynolds praised the effort and said the state stands ready to assist.

'Together their unique ability to connect health care and community services with faith communities and trusted leaders of color is what makes this type of outreach work, and it's something we hope that we can emulate and do statewide,” she said.

Only 1 percent of doses administered in Iowa so far have been to Black individuals, according to state public health data; but 4 percent of Iowa's population is Black, according to census data. And 1.7 percent of doses have gone to Hispanic or Latino individuals, while 6.3 percent of the state's population is Hispanic or Latino.

Reynolds said those numbers are not likely completely accurate because individuals self-report race and ethnicity when receiving the vaccine, and said nearly 20 percent have reported 'unknown.” However, Reynolds also said the numbers show the state has 'work to do” to reach minority communities, and insisted 'ensuring equity in distribution and administration” of the vaccine is a priority.

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