>> 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.