Pandemic Still Here
We are in the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Can you believe it?!! Colorado Black Health Collaborative ( CBHC) continues to engage with the community, providing education, PPE, and information on resources to support our community. In collaboration with other organizations, we have supported COVID-19 vaccine efforts. Since we are a trusted source for the Black community, we are committed to educating them about the vaccine, as well as listening to their concerns. We share with the community that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. We let them know that ultimately it is their choice whether they get the vaccine. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (Vaccine data | Colorado COVID-19 Updates) 65% of Black Coloradans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine compared to 78% of White Coloradans.
Looking Back
Looking at the current situation regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, CBHC thought it would be great to review what our community was telling us about the vaccine in 2020, before the vaccine became available. This is also an opportunity to highlight some of the work of our dedicated young people. These young ladies had been volunteering with us for years before the pandemic. When the pandemic hit it heightened their awareness to the health and social inequities that exist in the Black community. Hinal Rathi was inspired to develop and conduct a survey in 2020 to look at the impact of COVID-19. In February 2021, Hinal and Beza were excited to present the findings at a Social Justice conference.
The axis of their presentation was the results of the 2020 survey that assessed the perception of Colorado’s Black population and COVID-19’s impact. 134 Black Coloradans from diverse ethnic backgrounds completed the survey. At that time 49% of survey respondents said they would get the vaccine when it became available.
During the presentation they shared that “the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated the existing disparities by leading to disproportionately higher rates of morbidity and mortality.” The survey was also designed to capture the perspective of the Black population regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and wellness, financial well-being, and equitable care, and its relationship with the social determinants of health.
The Impact of COVID-19 Infection
These young ladies felt it was important to put a face to the issues. This pandemic has affected people’s lives and our nation needs to see the people along with the numbers. To this end, Beza and Hinal shared the COVID-19 stories of local Colorado residents. Featured below is one of the stories they captured for the conference. Gabrielle talks about her experiences with COVID-19 and notes that she will advocate for people to get the vaccine.
What do you think of what Gabrielle shared?
Equity Champions
The pandemic is not over yet, but there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. While it has been tough on everyone, COVID-19 highlighted the inequities that exist in our healthcare system. It demonstrated that Black people and other people of color were not getting the best from our systems of CARE. This has motivated Hinal and Beza to be champions for the underserved communities and champions for justice in the health care systems. They are excited to be change agents and to do the work to press for equitable treatment and outcomes for our community. They hope to enlist others in this important work. If they are successful, our future is very bright.
Upcoming Event
Be sure to sign up for our Keeping it Real! Conversations About COVID-19 event on March 10, 2022, Keeping It Real! Conversations About COVID-19 – Colorado Black Health Collaborative (CBHC).