OAHHS Hospital Voice Spring/Summer 2021

31 Spring/Summer 2021  KAISER PERMANENTE WORKS TO BRING VACCINE TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES To make the path to vaccination easier, Kaiser Permanente reached out to members of vulnerable populations and invited them to attend Saturday vaccine events at medical offices in their neighborhoods. Two such culturally focused vac- cine events for Latino Kaiser Per- manente members were held at the Kaiser Permanente Rockwood and Sunset medical offices. The Kaiser Permanente East Interstate Medical Office hosted an event for the Black community. Combined, more than a thousand members and their family members received vaccinations. That’s particularly good news because “These populations are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 infections, compared to non-BIPOC populations,” said Saskia van der Wal, MD, a family medicine specialist for Kaiser Permanente in the Northwest. Oregon’s population is 13 per- cent Latino, yet it makes up 24.2 percent of COVID-19 cases. Simi- lar trends are found in Black communities. Maria, who is Latina, desperately wanted to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but navigating the online appointment system was beyond her computer skills and English proficiency. And, as an immigrant, going to the mass vac- cination site at the Oregon Con- vention Center made her uneasy. Margaret is Black and had misgiv- ings about the vaccine based on documented historical medical discrimination of Blacks and com- munity chatter. She has a com- puter and Wi-Fi but admits that getting time off work would be near impossible. Maria and Margaret (not their real names, to protect their pri- vacy) represent many Kaiser Per- manente members who are experiencing barriers to vaccina- tion. For some, it’s access. For oth- ers, it’s fear and distrust. Experts say going into neighbor- hoods at times outside of regular workday hours will be essential to maximizing the number of vacci- nated Oregonians. Maria and Margaret represent many Kaiser Permanente members who are experiencing barriers to vaccination. For some, it’s access. For others, it’s fear and distrust.