Baltimore authorities are expanding their efforts to reach Hispanics during the coronavirus pandemic in an attempt to reduce the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 has had on the residents of that community.
Measures announced on Friday include increasing bilingual public messages about infection prevention, testing and isolation. The authorities will also recruit contact trackers who are culturally and linguistically proficient, and will help immigrants access financial assistance.
The city is working with several nonprofits on these actions, which will begin in January.
Latinos account for 15% of COVID-19 cases in Baltimore even though they make up just over 5% of the city’s population.
“This initiative helps us guide actions that will control and prevent the spread of COVID-19, which will improve health outcomes for Latino residents affected by the disease,” said Dr. Letitia Dzirasa, city health commissioner.
Baltimore, Maryland’s largest city, had 29,020 COVID-19 cases and 628 deaths as of Friday. Dzirasa said that Hispanics in the city are 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with the virus than those who are not.
Latinos, who number 60 million people in the United States, are four times more likely than non-Hispanic whites to be hospitalized for COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Their vulnerability is due to many reasons, including the fact that they are less likely to have health insurance or access to quality health care, sometimes because they cannot afford it, and sometimes because of their immigration status. Many are also unable to work from home and work in industries considered essential, such as foodservice, sanitation, meat packaging, construction, and retail. And many live in homes where several generations of the family live and where social distancing is difficult to maintain.
In addition, many are reluctant to get tested or seek medical attention because they distrust the government or because they fear deportation if they live in the country without permission.
Under the expanded Baltimore actions, the nonprofit CASA, which helps immigrants and Latinos in the Mid-Atlantic region, will recruit some community members to serve as credible messengers, not just on social media, but also on a personal level. Its goal will be to educate residents of the neighborhoods suffering from the highest rates of COVID-19, including the importance of being inoculated when the vaccine is available to the public.
Dzirasa said six of Baltimore’s contact trackers are bilingual, a number the city plans to increase.
“We in Baltimore know that we cannot protect the health and well-being of the public without ensuring that all residents, regardless of identity or (immigration) status, have access to care and support,” said Mayor Brandon Scott at a news conference. to announce the new strategy.
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