Colorado is fulfilling the promise of vaccine equity
BUT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE By Ashwin Sarwal & Colorado Alliance for Health Equity and Practice & Family Medicine Clinic Staff
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The vaccine effort in Colorado has been quite successful. As of June 25, 3.3 million Coloradoans have been vaccinated with at least one dose, while 2.9 million have been fully vaccinated. It is also remarkable that there are now over 1,400 Colorado clinics providing these vaccines. The unified effort in Colorado to encourage equitable distribution of vaccines is noteworthy and facilities such as Mile High United Way’s Ride and Uber now provide free rides to vaccination sites across Colorado. Specific populations have unique barriers and concerns about vaccination. Acknowledging the differences in various communities can ensure that interventions address priority populations’ needs. There has also been an emphasis on mobile vaccine events and vaccine delivery at various locations within community enclaves. Recently, Colorado has seen a 39% decline in the cases of COVID-19. This success can be attributed to the formation of the Colorado Vaccine Equity Taskforce and The Metro Denver Partnership for Health in order to ensure that all groups, regardless of race, ethnicity, insurance, transportation and language barri-
ers, can be supported. Our clinic – Colorado Alliance for Health Equity and Practice and Family Medicine Clinic (CAHEP-FMC) is a member of the Vaccine Equity group of clinics contributing to the significant mission of vaccine equity. Never before have we seen such a selfless spirit of volunteerism – nurses who can vaccinate, community leaders supporting enrollment, interpretation and translation services, and raising awareness and care-coordination effort for the first and second dose at events within their community. The remarkable outpouring from healthcare professionals, active and retired, has been heartwarming. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment now provides medical professionals for many Vaccine Equity clinics by request. We are also now net positive in the supply of vaccine doses available to the clinics certified in the state vaccine program. CAHEP-FMC has contributed by supporting numerous Vaccine Equity clinics and events all across the Denver metro region in coordination with community partners. Some noteworthy events are mentioned and images provided: a) The
This second dose Moderna equity clinic was held on May 9 at the Hindu Temple of the Rockies.
This clinic on May 22 was held in partnership with the Colorado Korean Association with support from The Colorado Health Foundation.
This vaccine clinic was held at the Ethiopian Church on April 18.
The Aurora community vaccine clinic was held at The Stampede in partnership with the City of Aurora and others was held on May 1.
July 2021 | Feature
