NEIGHBORHOOD FAMILY PRACTICE, AREA CHURCHES WORK TO EXPAND COVID-19 EDUCATION & TESTING TO BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES
By R. T. Andrews
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| Neighborhood Family Practice Community Health Center, on Franklin Blvd. in Cleveland's Detroit- Shoreway neighborhood, one of seven NFP centers. |
With President Donald Trump desperately trying force an economic recovery by browbeating federal health officials, threatening to withhold federal funding for school districts that do not re-open in normal fashion, and lying daily to the American people about the extent of the crisis and his administration’s half-hearted, disjointed, and ineffective responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, the black and brown people who are proving to be at higher risk can take some comfort in the knowledge that some of the community organizations that serve them are taking matters into their own hands.
COLOR OF HEALTH INITIATIVE
Last month the Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC) launched a community-based campaign to test thousands across Cleveland and Cuyahoga County to contain the spread of COVID-19, with an emphasis on African American populations and other at-risk groups.
The campaign, known as the Color of Health Initiative, has recruited 18 congregations that will serve as sites for free testing through a partnership with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and MetroHealth Systems. The Initiative is being co-chaired by GCC members and Cleveland pastors, Rev. Jawanza Karriem Colvin, Olivet Institutional Baptist Church; Rev. Ronald Maxwell, Affinity Missionary Baptist Church; and Rev. James Quincy, Lee Road Baptist Church.
Public health research and experts have pointed out the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on the poor and communities of color, exposing the inequities and injustices that GCC has been building power to correct since its founding. "There is an intersecting point between where race, poverty and this virus meet and it is ground zero for the worst of this pandemic," says Rev. Colvin. "We aim to meet it head-on."
HEALTH NETWORK ON WESTSIDE
Similar work is underway by the Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP), which has been providing outreach and education about the virus and expanding COVID-19 testing capabilities to minority populations via partnerships with other organizations.
NFP is a community medical practice providing primary care, women’s health and midwifery services, behavioral health, dental and case management appointments to more than 19,000 patients annually at its combined locations. It has a network of seven community health centers — six on the city’s west side, and another in Lakewood — serving a diverse population of more than 19,000 patients annually.
“There are serious barriers to accessing COVID-19 testing among the African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino and refugee populations. It is our obligation as a federally qualified community health center to create systems that are equitable and accessible to all Clevelanders,” says Jean Polster, RN, MS, NFP’s president and CEO.
Polster’s comments echo findings by the Greater Cleveland Congregations organization. GCC members visited 46 drug stores operated by CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens within Cleveland city limits and found only two operating COVID-19 testing sites.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put some members of racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting COVID-19 or experiencing severe illness, regardless of age. Among some racial and ethnic minority groups, including non-Hispanic black persons, Hispanics and Latinos, evidence points to higher rates of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 than among non-Hispanic white persons. As of June 12, 2020, age-adjusted hospitalization rates are highest among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native and non-Hispanic black persons, followed by Hispanic or Latino persons.
“For the past several weeks, NFP has been offering testing — at no cost to those tested — at our West 117th Community Health Center. To date, we’ve conducted more than 500 tests,” says Polster. “We recently added testing capabilities at our Detroit Shoreway location as well and hope to expand testing to other locations in the near future.”
AWARENESS AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS
In addition to testing, NFP is reaching out to leaders of other community organizations, starting with those serving the Hispanic/Latino community, with the goal of working together to help reduce COVID-19 related illness and death in that population. NFP is inviting organization leaders to participate in a video conference (to be conducted at 11 am on Wednesday, July 15) in which information on health guidance, testing and more will be shared.
NFP is also launching a COVID-19 awareness and education advertising campaign that will target African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, refugee and white low income households (less than $50,000), as well as populations with existing chronic health conditions including diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Ads will run on networks targeting these populations like BET, OWN, TBS, VH1, Galavision, Telemundo, Discovery Spanish, ESPN Deportes, and more. Non-skippable ads will also run on other platforms including Xbox, Roku, Kindle Fire and PlayStation, along with other platforms to reach those who don’t watch traditional television, but instead stream it on their iPads and mobile devices.
“The campaign will use a combination of video on television and smart phones, with messaging focused around community outreach, education on testing awareness and testing locations,” says Polster. “As we see COVID-19 cases continue to rise, it’s more important than ever that we do all we can to get information out and make testing available to these at-risk and underserved populations in our community.”
Meanwhile, GCC is also conducting a community-wide survey of its member congregations and the surrounding communities as research for organizing people to ensure public and private resources are directed toward the individuals and families most adversely affected by the virus and the socio-economic impact on households. "Much of the world has demonstrated that the resources and expertise exist to not simply slow the virus, but suppress it," says Rev. Maxwell. "We must act together now to ensure that those resources are brought to bear within communities facing the greatest threat."
The survey will enable persons across the city and county to provide first-person feedback on their experience with the virus and its implications on their social stability and financial well-being. GCC plans to utilize this information to identify strategies and action steps that will serve as effective tools to support affected individuals and families who may be subject to financial and social disruption due to exposure to COVID-19.
In addition, the survey will provide important on-the-
ground data that will be used in meetings with state and local public officials to improve the COVID-19 response in public policy, public health and public dollars. "Our community is in dire need of support to overcome the negative economic, emotional and physical effects of COVID-19," says Rev. Quincy. "We are working to deliver critical support."
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| Rev. James Quincy Lee Road Baptist Church |
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