SEE THESE NUMBERS GO DOWN.
% >> IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE,
% HISPANICS AND LATINOS ARE NOW
% SHOWING THE LARGEST INCREASE IN
% COVID-19 CASES.
% THAT MARKS A TURNING POINT FROM
% WHEN THE DISEASE WAS
% DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTING THE
% CITY'S AFRICAN-AMERICAN
% COMMUNITY.
% THE SURGE OF CASES IS
% CONCENTRATED ON MILWAUKEE'S
% SOUTH SIDE.
% JEANETTE KOWALIK IS MILWAUKEE'S
% COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH AND SHE
% JOINED US WITH HER INSIGHTS AND
% THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO HOW DISPROPORTIONATE ARE
% THE NUMBER OF POSITIVE CASES IN
% THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY?
% >> SO AS OF THIS WEEK NOW, THE
% HISPANIC OR LATINX POPULATION IS
% THE MAJORITY OF CASES IN OUR
% CITY AND OUR COUNTY.
% AT THE CITY LEVEL, THE LATINX
% POPULATION ACCOUNTS FOR ABOUT
% 40% OF CASES.
% AT ONE POINT IN TIME EARLIER IN
% OUR RESPONSE, AFRICAN-AMERICAN
% WERE BASICALLY LIKE 70% OF THE
% CASES.
% SO WE DEFINITELY ARE CONCERNED
% ABOUT THIS FLIP HERE, AND WE
% STARTED TO SEE THE FIRST HOT
% SPOT ON THE SOUTH SIDE OR
% PREDOMINANTLY LATINX COMMUNITY
% IN MILWAUKEE IN MID-APRIL.
% SO WE WERE WORKING ON INCREASING
% OUTREACH AND RESOURCES, MAKING
% THINGS ARE NOT JUST TRANSLATED,
% BUT CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE,
% WORKING WITH 16TH STREET
% COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, WHICH
% IS A SOLID PARTNER OF THE
% MILWAUKEE HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S
% AND ONE OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS
% ALSO WORKS FOR THAT
% ORGANIZATION.
% SO LEVERAGING THAT RELATIONSHIP
% TO REALLY HELP GET THE WORD OUT.
% AND THEN WE RECEIVED SOME
% FUNDING TO ASSIST WITH SOME OF
% THE OUTREACH EFFORTS.
% SO THAT WAS USED THROUGH THE
% ADVANCING HEALTHIER WISCONSIN
% MONEY, WHICH WE STILL HAVE AND
% WE'RE STILL WORKING ON A VARIETY
% OF OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AND
% RESOURCES.
% AND THEN ALSO THIS STRONGER
% TOGETHER COLLABORATIVE, WHICH
% RECEIVES FUNDING FROM THE
% GREATER MILWAUKEE FOUNDATION TO
% CREATE A YOU MATTER CAMPAIGN, SO
% ALTERING THE MESSAGE FROM "STAY
% HOME, SAVE LIVES" OR "SAFER AT
% HOME" TO VALUING PEOPLE OF COLOR
% IN OUR COMMUNITY AND EQUIPPING
% OUR COMMUNITY WITH KNOWLEDGE AND
% RESOURCES SO THAT THEY CAN BE
% RESILIENT AND SURVIVE COVID-19.
% >> SO HAD YOU DETERMINED THEN
% THAT THE MESSAGING WAS NOT
% CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE FOR THE
% LATINX COMMUNITY AND THAT'S WHAT
% YOU WENT TO WORK ON?
% OR WHY DID YOU DETERMINE THIS
% WAS HAPPENING IN THAT COMMUNITY
% IN PARTICULAR?
% >> WELL, INITIALLY WE WERE
% CONCERNED ABOUT SOME OF THOSE
% SOURCES OF THOSE INITIAL
% OUTBREAKS, THAT THEY WERE
% RELATED TO EMPLOYERS OR FOLKS
% BEING CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL AND
% STILL HAVING TO GO TO WORK AND
% STILL BEING EXPOSED TO COVID-19
% BY JUST GOING TO WORK, WHETHER
% THEY WERE TAKING PUBLIC
% TRANSPORTATION OR PEOPLE ARE
% RIDE-SHARING OR WHATEVER THE
% CASE MAY BE, AND THEN WORKING IN
% SETTINGS THAT REALLY DIDN'T
% SUPPORT SOCIAL OR PHYSICAL
% DISTANCING, AS WELL AS ENHANCED
% CLEANING AND HYGIENE, WHICH
% CREATED MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR
% EXPOSURE FOR SOME PEOPLE IN OUR
% LATINX POPULATION.
% SO WE STARTED TO SEE THAT PLAY
% OUT, AND WE WERE VERY CONCERNED
% EARLY ON IN GETTING THE MESSAGE
% OUT, WORKING WITH EMPLOYERS TO
% MAKE SURE PEOPLE HAD ACCESS TO
% TESTING AND THEN MAKING SURE
% PEOPLE ALSO ARE AWARE THAT THERE
% IS FEDERAL PROTECTIONS AND
% RESOURCES FOR SICK TIME IF YOU
% ARE INFECTED WITH COVID-19, HOW
% YOU ACCESS THOSE THINGS.
% WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN
% SOME BARRIERS THAT HAVE BEEN
% PRETTY MUCH PUT UP COMING FROM
% THE NATIONAL LEVEL ALL THE WAY
% DOWN LOOKING AT IMMIGRATION,
% THIS ANTI-IMMIGRATION SENTIMENT,
% WORKING WITH ICE TO DETAIN
% PEOPLE AND JUST THERE'S A LOT OF
% FEAR AND HAS BEEN A LOT OF FEAR
% AND THE TRUST HAS BEEN ERODED IN
% GOVERNMENT.
% AND OUR EXPERIENCE AT THE
% MILWAUKEE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS
% BEEN WE'VE BEEN SEEING A DECLINE
% IN SERVICE UTILIZATION AMONGST
% SOME OF OUR LATINX CLIENTS OVER
% THE LAST YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF.
% SO USING OTHER COMMUNITY
% PARTNERS AND LETTING THEM LEAD
% IS REALLY IMPORTANT NOW MORE
% THAN EVER BECAUSE OF THAT TRUST.
% JUST BY WAY OF NATURE, THE
% HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS A
% GOVERNMENT ENTITY, SO HOW DO WE
% LET OTHERS LEAD AND GET THE
% MESSAGE OUT, HELP WITH THE
% CONTACT TRACING AND OTHER
% RESOURCES THAT ARE NEEDED.
% WE ALSO KNOW THAT A NUMBER OF
% PEOPLE IN OUR LATINX COMMUNITY
% DID NOT QUALIFY FOR THE STIMULUS
% PAYMENTS, WHICH IS REALLY
% UNFORTUNATE.
% WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE WAS SOME
% OF THIS PUBLIC WILL, YOU KNOW,
% IF YOU RECEIVE SOCIAL SERVICES,
% THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO-- THAT
% WILL COMPROMISE YOUR
% CITIZENSHIP.
% YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALL OF THESE
% POLITICAL OR POLICY LEVEL
% THREATS TO BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE
% A MORE COMPREHENSIVE COVID
% RESPONSE.
% SO WHAT ARE SOME WAYS FOR US TO
% STILL IMPACT THE LATINX IN A
% POSITIVE WAY BUT WORK AROUND
% SOME OF THOSE BARRIERS THAT HAVE
% BEEN SET UP TO CAUSE MORE
% DISCRIMINATION AND RACISM AMONG
% OUR LATINX POPULATION.
% >> THERE'S MUCH MORE TO TALK
% ABOUT AROUND THIS, BUT WE NEED
% TO LEAVE IT THERE.
% DR. KOWALIK, THANK YOU SO MUCH
% AND THANKS FOR YOUR WORK.
% >> THANK YOU.