Brooklyn Park Nonprofit Works to Increase Vaccinations Among Immigrants
There’s growing concern about COVID-19 vaccination rates among communities of color. Vaccine rates among people of color are disproportionately lower than their white counterparts. That concern comes in light of the so-called delta variant and its potential to spread even in highly vaccinated populations.
The Brooklyn Park nonprofit, African Career, Education and Resource, Inc. (ACER) is getting a $100,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work on vaccination disparities. The money will be used to fund education and outreach programs in communities hit hard by the pandemic.
“We still have some pockets within Brooklyn Park where we have a high uptick of the virus in some of these communities, especially, within the BIPOC community. That’s the Black, indigenous, and people of color community,” said Wynfred Russell, ACER’s director of health equity.
ACER works to build trust and understanding on COVID-19 vaccines in BIPOC communities.
Brooklyn Park Group Concerned About Delta Variant
The project aims to increase understanding and trust about the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines among adults at the highest risk for infection and death. At the height of the pandemic, state death records showed that people of color were dying from COVID-19 at disproportionately higher rates than whites.
Now, officials are concerned about the delta variant, which currently make up more than 26 percent of new cases in the country. ACER is working with religious groups and community leaders to help spread the word about the importance of getting the vaccine.
“We have plenty of vaccines. People need to get vaccinated so we can have herd immunity,” said Russell.
ACER is working with several medical groups to provide free vaccinations throughout the state. The nonprofit is also hosting vaccine clinics at the Brooklyn Park Farmers Market this summer.
