photo by: contributed

A flyer provides information for an equity-focused vaccine clinic that will take place on Saturday, April 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Holcom Park Recreation Center, 2700 W. 27th St.

The local health department and several community-based organizations will be offering an equity-focused vaccine clinic on Saturday, providing vaccines to people of color, who national data shows are less likely to have received a vaccine.

People 18 and older who identify as black, indigenous or other person of color are encouraged to register for the vaccine at LDCHealth.org/Getmyvaccine using code 739562, according to a flyer announcing the event. The clinic will offer a limited number of doses of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Nationwide, vaccination rates for white people have been disproportionately higher than vaccination rates for people of color, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Though the local health department is still working on finalizing its reporting, analysis so far indicates there are disparities for Black residents, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health spokesman George Diepenbrock. Diepenbrock said the department is hopeful that events like Saturday’s clinic, recent vaccine clinics at Heartland Community Health Center, and other equity efforts though the county’s unified pandemic response team will continue to improve access to vaccines and equity in the department’s vaccination data.

“We are working on ways to improve access and continue to share health and medical information about the vaccines that show why they are safe and effective,” Diepenbrock said in an email to the Journal-World.

Diepenbrock said that a preliminary analysis conducted this week so far shows that the health department appears to be doing well among most racial groups, but is looking to continue improvement among Black residents. Specifically, Diepenbrock said through Wednesday’s data, 2% of those vaccinated identified as Black, while U.S. Census estimates Douglas County’s Black population at 4.7%.

The doses for the clinic on Saturday are being offered through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in coordination with Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health and several community-based organizations, including the Lawrence Mutual Aid Network. Lawrence Mutual Aid Network organizer Mariel Ferreiro said that Spanish language interpreters would be available to help assist residents; the only information that participants need to provide is their name, date of birth, address and contact information.

As with all COVID-19 vaccines, there is no charge to recipients, but insurance information will be recorded if available. The flyer asks participants to bring identification and an insurance card if available. For those registering without insurance, they should enter COVID HRSA as their insurance provider and enter their driver’s license or Social Security numbers as the policy number.

The clinic will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Holcom Park Recreation Center, 2700 W. 27th St. Those who require transportation can contact the health department at cgentry@ldchealth.org.

Diepenbrock, noting that the health department had more vaccine supply than appointments on Wednesday, said much of the health department’s work the next few weeks will be on seeking to convince those not yet vaccinated to make an appointment. He said the health department launched a survey Thursday to try to help inform those efforts and identify any barriers keeping people from the vaccine. The survey is available at bit.ly/DGCovidSurvey.