COVID-19 Vaccine Equity
By focusing on COVID-19 vaccine equity, we seek to build trust with communities that have been traditionally underserved by healthcare systems while ensuring they get equitable treatment. Many of these communities have experienced disproportionately high rates of infection during the pandemic. Our dedicated vaccine equity works to relieve this burden and reduce healthcare disparities by keeping our collective focus on the important work of improving vaccine access for all people in our communities.
View our planResources
Learn more about our COVID-19 vaccine efforts and download flyers in Hmong, Karen, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese, and English.
News and Blogs
Learn more about ways we’re working towards a more equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are many understandable reasons why individuals affected by historical and ongoing racism, particularly in healthcare settings, are vaccine hesitant. By focusing COVID-19 vaccine equity, we seek to build trust with communities that have been traditionally underserved by healthcare systems while ensuring they get equitable treatment. Many of these communities have experienced disproportionately high rates of infection during the pandemic. Our dedicated vaccine equity effort works relieve this burden and reduce healthcare disparities by keeping our collective focus on the important work of improving vaccine access for all people in our communities.
BIPOC communities have experienced hundreds of years of systemic and individual racism in medical settings. Hopefully, this is changing with the development and delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines. The approved COVID-19 vaccines have been tested, delivered, and monitored in places around the world. The vaccines have been tested in many volunteers from many different backgrounds, including people who identify as Black, Latinx, or Native American, among other groups. In every group, they have proven to be safe and effective against the virus. Additionally, scientists from many different communities and nations have been instrumental in the development, testing, and distribution of the vaccines. And many leaders and trusted members of these communities have shared their personal stories of moving from vaccine hesitancy to vaccine confidence.
To reduce the healthcare barriers for communities of color and indigenous communities, vaccinations must be accessible, free, available within a trusted space, and given with appropriate language and cultural considerations. M Health Fairview is proposing participation in four vaccination “tracks” to offer COVID-19 vaccinations in community spaces serving these populations. Our tracks include: partnerships with public health organizations, expansion of our successful MINI Clinics model, use of existing community clinics in high-need areas, and a focus on our internal communities that may be vaccine hesitant. You can learn more about our plan here.
M Health Fairview has led a multi-cultural mobile vaccination program for the past 14 years which excels at reaching communities of color and communities facing barriers to immunization. This collaborative, the Minnesota Immunization Networking Initiative (MINI), is uniquely positioned to respond to inequities in vaccination for BIPOC communities and other vulnerable groups. In 2020, the MINI program provided free influenza vaccinations to over 6,700 individuals; 89% of those served identified as a person of color, and 47.4% were uninsured. Our trusted network of community partners is eager to engage in this work with us and have the deep ties to community essential for effective outreach.