Cone Health is committed to resolving vaccine distribution disparities by assigning 35% of its vaccines to minorities.
GREENSBORO, NC – Cone Health is stepping up efforts to correct a disproportionate distribution of the COVD-19 vaccine. The healthcare company has pledged to provide 35% of all minority vaccines, Cone Health announced.
More than 40% of the people in the areas where Cone Health provides services are people of color. However, nearly 78% of the COVID-19 vaccines given by Cone Health went to whites, according to Cone Health officials. The vaccine allocation is intended to eliminate this difference.
“Vaccinations are key to ending this terrible pandemic,” said Terry Akin, CEO of Cone Health. “But how can we end it quickly by leaving so many people in our community?” Whites take the vaccine in large numbers, others don’t. This step is part of an effort to fill this gap. “
Access to the vaccine, the confidence and novelty of the vaccine are the reasons behind the hesitation of the vaccine, according to researchers.
Cone Health plans to address all three issues with the assigned vaccines.
First, the assigned vaccines are distributed in community vaccination clinics in areas where it may be more difficult for people to get to a mass vaccination site due to transportation problems or the inability to leave work without pay. Vaccination clinics are held in churches and community centers, with registration being done by churches and other organizations. These clinics will be located in both urban and rural areas, according to representatives from Cone Health.
To improve trust between black communities and the medical system, Cone Health has set up a series of virtual town halls where black health professionals, pastors and faith leaders, and community and business leaders come together to discuss how the vaccine is being developed and tested and why it is safe, officials said. Cone Health is also working to overcome language barriers and improve access for Spanish and other members of the minority community.
Cone Health believes that the more people become familiar with the vaccine and the novelty wears off, the more people are getting the vaccine.
“It’s comforting to see people who look like you and get the chance to get this powerful vaccine that has been shown to be very safe,” says Dr. Alvin Powell, Cone Health’s chief health equity officer. “With these measures, Cone Health is laying the foundation for the people in every community where we are vaccinated. Together we will move on from this pandemic. “
These measures are in line with the North Carolina government’s initiative to improve vaccination rates in minority communities.
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