Working Together to Protect Each Other
COVID-19 pandemic recovery has not been easy for most, and stark racial inequities in wellbeing existed long before the pandemic. Our Indigenous community has some of the greatest challenges — our systems are not adequately equipped to communicate in their native, often only, language. Navigating all health systems, and in particular COVID-19 vaccination information can be confusing, even intimidating, making access difficult.
A solution brought forth by Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño has been to hold vaccination clinics with VIDA Community Health Workers that are fluent in three predominant Indigenous languages to ensure that the community felt welcome, could voice their concerns, and receive information clearly in their language.
Working together with First 5 Monterey County, Monterey County Office of Education, Greenfield Unified School District, and Bright Beginnings, the vaccination clinic was a huge success. We’re grateful and proud of our community for coming together to stay healthy! To learn more about the vaccination clinic, check out KSBW’s video here.