Posted: 4/20/2022
Minority Health Month theme focuses on booster shots
Throughout the pandemic, staff at Parkland Health has worked tirelessly to fight misinformation about COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color due in part to social and economic factors that put some people from racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk for contracting the virus. Although cases have declined, Parkland providers continue to urge individuals in the minority community to get vaccinated and be on top of their annual physical exams.
The Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health (OMH) observes National Minority Health Month in April to highlight the importance of improving the health of racial and ethnic minorities and reducing health disparities. The theme this year is “Give Your Community a Boost,” and focuses on the continued importance of getting vaccinated and boosted to help end the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that Dallas County is in a less threatening wave of COVID-19, Parkland providers recommend community members get back in the habit of routine check-ups. Hypertension, cancer, diabetes, asthma, chronic kidney disease and chronic heart failure, which are related to tobacco use, poor nutrition and lack of physical activity are the leading causes of death and contributors of a high volume of inpatient hospitalizations.
According to the Dallas County Health & Human Services (DCHHS) COVID-19 dashboard, the Hispanic community has the most COVID-19 cases at 167,787 and just over 2,300 deaths. The white community is second with 162,407 COVID-19 cases and more than 2,000 deaths, while the Black community stands at 103,563 COVID-19 cases and just over 1,600 deaths. At Parkland Memorial Hospital, 65% (607 cases) of COVID-19 deaths have been Hispanic followed by Blacks at 21% (195 cases).
“Where you live, and work plays a big role in health risks and outcomes. This includes COVID-19 infection, severe illness, and death. These conditions along with access to care influence a wide range of health and quality-of-life risks and outcomes,” said Roberto de la Cruz, MD, Parkland’s Chief Clinical Officer. “If we want to boost the number of vaccinations within the minority population, it’s up to us to educate and bring the COVID-19 vaccine to the community. We opened COVID-19 vaccination sites across Dallas County and collaborated with organizations and school districts to participate in multiple pop-up vaccination clinics.”
Parkland has administered more than 393,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, but Joseph Chang, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Parkland says numbers for booster shots among the minority community are not as high as they need to be. Of those, 26,300 were third doses.
“Getting a booster offers the highest protection possible against COVID-19. It helps prevent the spread of the virus among those who are unvaccinated, like children under the age of 5,” said Dr. Chang. “There’s plenty of vaccine available and those who qualify for a booster should get one.”
Parkland leveraged various communication channels to engage Black and Hispanic audiences to take an active role in prevention through targeted marketing efforts, including geographic-based marketing such as transit, billboards, local businesses, social media and streaming radio, and demographic-targeted marketing such as traditional and streaming radio, television, newspapers, social media and digital marketing. Community influencers gave their voice to robocalls for outreach. Parkland also conducted a robust earned media education effort featuring interviews with Parkland providers and leaders in hundreds of broadcasts, print and digital media segments targeting minorities throughout the pandemic.
“We knew disparities existed before the pandemic so it was important for us to turn to our neighbors, the faith-based leaders and community influencers to help spread the word about the importance of getting vaccinated,” said Angela Morris, Parkland’s Senior Director of Community Relations.
Aside from COVID-19, heart disease is a leading cause of death for the African American and Hispanic communities. Having high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. However, the CDC says several other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease, including:
- Diabetes
- Overweight and obesity
- Unhealthy diet
- Physical inactivity
- Excessive alcohol use
Following the findings of the 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), Parkland launched its Access to Care and Coverage program where blood pressure screenings along with other important health screenings are offered at community hubs in Dallas. All in hopes to make it easy for individuals to get connected to services, screenings and information about how to stay healthy.
“Scheduling a yearly checkup allows you and your doctor to build a relationship and screen for some prevention,” said Dr. De la Cruz. “The point is to keep you on a healthy track and avoid visiting the emergency room with something that could have been preventable, such as a heart attack.”
Individuals can get a COVID-19 vaccine at Parkland by scheduling an appointment online through their MyChart account or by calling 214-590-7000 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Vaccinations are available at specific locations on weekends and no cost to the patient.
For more information about the COVID vaccine, visit www.parklandhealth.org.